Hauntings From The Past
by Soccer-Geek
Summary: A mysterious little girl shows up on the Temple's doorstep. She is smart and powerful, but carries many secrets. And she brings a piece of paper that will change not only the live of Qui-Gon Jinn, but many others. OC centric. 40 BBY AU. Please read and review.
1. Prologue: In the Dead of Night

I posted this story originally on JCC, but as those boards are currently down, I figured I'd post it here as well.

I own nothing except the OCs.

Prologue: In the Dead of Night

The young woman hid her face behind the hood of her robe. She wasn't trying to hide her features, but her tears. She gingerly placed a hand on her stomach and took a deep breath.

_I have to leave, _She thought.

She didn't want the Council to know. She was a victim and knew there was no shame in that, but she didn't want to admit that she was now pregnant with a Sith Lord's child. She didn't want her child alienated because of who sired the babe. Who would take a Sith's offspring as their Padawan?

She walked down the halls of the grand Jedi Temple, ran her fingers along the walls, taking in the beautiful features she had known since her childhood. This was her home, and now she was leaving, never to return.

Holding back a sob, she repositioned her bag on her shoulder and walked out, never looking back once.

Please Review!


	2. Chapter 1: Coruscant Arrival

Chapter One: Coruscant Arrival

**Three years and nine months later…**

She was small. She was stubborn. She was determined. She was smart.

And she was lost.

Jane Mago clutched her two prized possessions—a yellow blanket she had had since she was a baby and a piece of paper her mommy had given to her right before she died—closer to her as she looked around the planet-wide city. It was so busy, so active, so…. loud. Her big hazel eyes tried to take in everything, but it was impossible.

Any normal three-year-old girl would have been scared and broke down crying on the spot. But Jane wasn't normal.

She was going to find the Jedi Temple, if it was the last thing she did.

_And if might possibly will be,_ Jane thought as she walked past some rather suspicious looking characters. Her lip curled in disgust as she stepped over the leg of a passed-out being, snoring in the alley near a tavern.

No one cast Jane a second glance. To them, she was just another street rat, an orphan living hidden in the shadows.

Little did they know just how gifted she was.

Jane finally stopped to rest and scowled as she looked up to see yet more and more layers of the world of Coruscant. She frowned; she was going to have to ask for directions.

Jane _hated_ to ask for help, especially from those who treated her like a child. Part of the problem, Jane realized, was that she didn't _feel_ like she was three years old. She felt much older, much wiser, thanks to the knowledge that her mother had given her.

Jane sighed, but relented and asked for directions from a middle-aged woman out doing her weekly shopping.

"But where is your mommy, child?" The kindly woman asked, concerned and looked around for a woman with similar features as the little girl in front of her.

"My Mommy is dead," Jane said softly. "But my godfather lives at the Temple. I'm going to live with him and complete my training to become a Jedi Knight."

"Oh, you poor dear," The woman cooed, looking at Jane with pity. "Sweetheart, I would love to give you directions, but I won't sleep well tonight unless I take you to the Temple myself."

Jane considered the older woman's request for a moment before nodding and the pair set out. Within minutes, they had arrived at the Temple. The woman followed Jane up to the doorway to make sure she was admitted.

Jane tossed her long braid over her shoulder and proudly marched up to the security droids guarding the Temple.

"Excuse me," She said in her best adult voice. "Can you please direct me to where the Jedi Council meet?"

"Name?" The droid demanded.

"Jane Marie Mago," The three-year-old responded proudly.

"Business with the Grand Jedi?"

"My godfather is a Jedi. He needs to complete my training."

"Nonsense. You are a youngling. You have no Padawan braid. Your training cannot have begun."

"The Corellians start young," Jane explained with a shrug. "Please, will you let me enter? I want the Jedi to test me and let me train here, like they let my mother."

Jane could have sworn the droid tried to blink.

"Your surname is Mago?" The droid asked.

"Yes."

"Is your mother Jocelyn Mago?"

"Yes, she was."

The droid requested that Jane not move and paged the Council. Five minutes later, a tall Jedi with dark skin and eyes stepped outside.

"What is it?" He demanded impatiently.

"This girl claims to be Knight Mago's daughter." The droid said, indicating Jane. That was when the Jedi Master noticed her for the first time.

He knelt down in front of the small girl and studied her, both with his eyes and with the Force. His eyes widened.

"She does look like Jocelyn," He whispered to himself in… Disbelief? Awe? Jane couldn't tell. "What is your name, child?"

"Jane," The girl responded, her one hand wringing her blanket, the other clutching the paper to her chest.

"What are you searching for at the Temple, Jane?"

"My godfather, Master Jedi. He is to finish the training my mother started. She died before she could complete my training."

"And who is your godfather?"

Jane never forgot the look of surprise on the Jedi's face as she told him the name of the man her mother had left full custody of on her deathbed.

"Qui-Gon Jinn."


	3. Chapter 2: An Enigma Named Jane

Chapter Two: An Enigma Named Jane

Mace Windu stared down at the small girl, still trying to grasp the fact that she was Jocelyn's daughter. And the fact that Jocelyn was dead.

_Who is her father, then?_ He wondered. He didn't even know Jocelyn was pregnant.

Nearly four years before, Jocelyn had vanished, causing a minor uproar, particularly amongst the younger students. Jocelyn taught beginner lightsaber courses and was adored by all the younglings for her knowledge, kindness and gentle nature.

Upon checking Jocelyn's quarters, they found all of her personal belongings had been packed, leading to the assumption that she had run away. No one knew why, as she left no note.

No one had heard from her since.

And now her three-year-old daughter had arrived at the Temple, demanding to be trained. Force, how she reminded him of Jocelyn….

Mace shook himself of that thought, pushing memories of his friend aside.

He thanked the middle-age woman—who had stood at a close distance for the entire exchange—for escorting Jane to the Temple.

"It was nothing, Master Jedi," The woman said. She smiled down at Jane. "Good luck with your training, young one."

"Thank you," Jane said, returning the smile.

After giving a final wave to the motherly woman, Jane turned to Mace.

"You've put me at an indisposition." She said.

"I… have?" Mace asked, his brow furrowing at, not only her statement, but at her choice of words. Her vocabulary was very advanced for a three-year-old.

"Yes. You know my name, and you obviously knew my mother, but I do not know your name." Jane pointed out.

"Ah," Mace said with a nod. "My name is Mace Windu."

"What am I to call you?" Jane asked. "Do I call you Master or Jedi or by your given name or surname?"

"You can call me Master Windu," Mace said. "Follow me. We're going to go to the Council Room."

As they walked to the Council room, Mace wondered briefly if Jane could be lying about who her mother was, but shoved that thought aside a second later. He had known Jocelyn since they were younglings and it was clear that Jane was a perfect copy of Jocelyn. Her long, silky brown hair tied back in a braid with a green ribbon. Her big, bright hazel eyes that seem to be changing color in the light and with her changing emotions. Her full lips curved into a sweet and innocent smile (Though, if she was anything like Jocelyn, she was rarely innocent). The little nose that crinkled with laughter. Her Corellian accent that coated her basic.

Still, her appearance gave no indication as to who her father was. It puzzled Mace.

"Jane," He asked, breaking the silence between the two. "Do you know who your father is?"

"I'd lie and say I don't know, but I do," Jane said, looking at her blanket. "I won't tell you his name, though. Just know that he is dead, and was dead long before I was born."

"Was he Force-Sensitive?" Mace dared to ask.

Jane's hazel eyes became brown, hiding the green, signaling to Mace that she was frustrated and didn't want to talk about her father. He was surprised at the sudden Jocelyn trait coming from the girl.

"That fact," Jane said darkly. "I shall keep to myself."

"You said your mother started your training." Mace said, wanting a change in the subject in hope for a reprieve from the dark glare coming from the girl.

"Yes. She taught me how to levitate things and to meditate and all the Corellian Jedi traditions," Jane looked down at her blanket. "Mommy wanted to follow the Corellian path, but no one would teach her here. She learned from an elderly Corellian Jedi before I was born and taught me what she had been taught. I want to complete my training and follow the traditional Jedi ways, but I want to stay true to my heritage. In a way, I want the best of both worlds."

Jane looked up at Mace.

"I'm kinda scared, Master Windu," Jane said. "What if Qui-Gon won't take me as his apprentice even after I show him my paper and everything?"

"Jane," Mace said softly. "There is something I need to tell you."

"What?" Jane asked, feeling her blood run cold. Of course there would be a problem. Everything had gone too easily up till now.

"The Jedi here on Coruscant are only allowed to take one apprentice at a time. Qui-Gon already has an apprentice." Mace said.

"He does?" Jane felt her heart sink. Would she be sent back to Corellia now? Who would train her?

"What am I going to do now?" Jane mumbled, looking down at her feet.

"Do not worry, Jane," Mace said. "Master Jinn's apprentice should have completed his training by the time you are old enough to be taken on as a Padawan. I just wanted you to understand why Qui-Gon would not immediately take you on as an apprentice."

Jane nodded. She didn't know at what age the Temple Jedi were taken as apprentices, but she hoped it wouldn't be too many years. She had already begun her training and was eager to finish it, no matter how long it took.

"When can I meet Qui-Gon?" Jane asked.

"That, I don't know," Mace said. "He and Padawan Kenobi are on a mission. Missions can last days, weeks or months. Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi have been gone for two weeks now. No one is sure of when they will return."

They walked in silence for another few minutes. Jane studied the walls of the Temple.

"You never told me what is going to happen once we get to the Council Room," Jane pointed out.

"You're very curious, I see," Mace said, allowing a rare smile. Yet another Jocelyn trait. "The Council and I are going to test your aptitude in the Force."

"How so?" Jane asked as they turned a corner.

Mace explained the process to Jane, explaining how they would ask her to identify objects without looking at them, have her levitate a few objects, and some other similar tests. Jane took in the information and nodded.

"Do you have any questions before we go in?" Mace asked as they stood outside the Council room.

"No, I understand everything," Jane said.

Mace activated the door panel. Jane took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Two hours later, a Crèche caretaker escorted an exhausted Jane out of the Council room. She had passed every single test the Council had given her. She exceeded everything they had expected out of her. She was quite in-tune with the Force and her mother's training had obviously paid off.

And it stunned them all.

"Jocelyn's daughter," Ki-Adi Mundi whispered, still in shock. Like Mace, Jane's appearance, attitude and abilities shocked the entire Council as soon as they saw the little girl.

"And godfather to the girl, Qui-Gon is," Yaddle said, looking at the document Jane had entrusted to the Council in her three-fingered hands. "Wise choice or not, unsure I am."

"She looks so much like Jocelyn," Adi Gallia said sadly. "I remember when Jocelyn was that small."

Adi had been Jocelyn's master, and the one who had brought the orphaned Corellian girl to the Temple. She had been heartbroken when Jocelyn left shortly after Adi had taken on Siri Tachi as her apprentice.

"Powerful, Jane is. From both mother and father, I feel," Yoda said gravely. "Who her father is, did she say?"

"No," Mace said. "But she told me that she knew who he was and that he is dead."

"Hmm," Yoda hummed thoughtfully. "An enigma, young Jane is. Solve her, we might never shall."

No one could respond.


	4. Chapter 3: Temple Days

**Next chapter of Jane's story. Hope you enjoy! :)**

Chapter Three: Temple Days

Jane was bored.

Insanely, mind numbingly bored.

She did not like the Crèche. The other children had their friends and favorite toys to play with; in other words, they had their cliques. There was no one to have an invigorating conversation with, nothing particularly stimulating to play with and she had solved all the puzzles within the first three hours, even the ones used to encourage Force development.

She was too smart for hanging around all day with these infants, she thought. She wanted to learn like older initiates. She had asked the caretaker if she could have a practice lightsaber, but her request was denied.

" 'You're too young, Jane,' " Jane mimicked the caretaker's voice as she punched the pillow in her crib (how insulting!) before lying on her back to glare at the ceiling.

_If only I can show them what I can do,_ Jane thought. She turned on her side to glare at the crib bars and wrinkled her nose. She had been two when she figured out how to get out of cribs.

Suddenly, Jane grinned. She knew what she was going to do.

Jane carefully scaled the crib bars and tiptoes past the other cribs. After taking a glance behind her shoulder to check on the sleeping caretaker, she opened the door…

And smiled as she took her first breath of freedom.

Jane ran through the halls of the Temple, wanting to explore everything. She went from broom cupboard to classroom, to cafeteria, to the gardens and Room of the Thousand Fountains, the library, armory and the holographic map room.

And then she found the training area. It was a huge room filled with mats and training lightsabers. She practiced her cartwheels, handsprings and handstands for a few minutes before picking up a lightsaber.

She activated the blade. Smiling as she heard the hum, she gripped the saber in both hands and begun practicing her footwork, striking imaginary foes.

She didn't know how long she had been working with the blade, but she felt tired when she finally shut off the blade. She also felt sad. She missed practicing with her mommy…

With a sigh, Jane turned to put the lightsaber back where she found it… and came face to face with the Crèche caretaker.

Neither said a word for a minute, before Jane broke the silence:

"Yeah… I'm just going to assume I'm in trouble." She said.

"Very much so," The caretaker said dryly. "But it seems you have proved me wrong. You are not too young to work with a lightsaber. Your mother taught you, I presume?"

Jane nodded.

"My mommy and I would practice for hours. She taught me all my footing and how to grip the hilt properly."

"She did a fine job," The caretaker praised. Then he sighed. "Your mother was the best swordswoman of her class. She was much admired and envied for her skill, but all she wanted to use her skills for was to teach. I am happy to see that her love for teaching paid off. I will talk to the Council about starting your Temple education."

"Really!" Jane exclaimed happily. "No more Crèche?"

"Only for sleeping and meals until Qui-Gon can take charge of you," He looked at Jane and grinned. "I do pity him so."

The Crèche caretaker did talk with the Council, and they had the lightsaber masters test Jane. The Masters observed her footwork, how she did against remotes and an opponent. The trainers discovered that she was quite advanced for a child of her age and put her in an intermediate class with older initiates.

Jane excelled in her class and impressed her teachers. But it was only one class that met for two hours a day, which left Jane bored in the Crèche again.

When she asked if there were any texts she could study, it was discovered that she read on a very high level. One teacher introduced her to Madam Nu, who would let Jane have free run of the library, checking on the girl at intervals.

Jane studied histories and science, theology and philosophy, literature and lore from around the galaxy. She studied weapons and the art of war-craft, battles and wars won and lost. After a few weeks of spending time in the library, Jane often found herself helping other students with their assignments and frequently led Jedi to the area where they would find the information they needed if Madam Nu or one of her assistants were busy.

Wanting to learn more about military tactics, Jane would listen in on lectures given to the older students, hiding in the corner closet where she couldn't be seen. A week after she started her hiding routine, the instructor was recounting a battle that took place during the Sith war and was outlining where the troops were stationed on a map, when—without turning—he said,

"Miss Mago, if you are going to listen to these lectures this attentively, you have to do the work as well."

Jane carefully stuck her head out of her hiding place, her eyes wide. All the students in the room looked at her, surprised. None of them had known she was there. Jane removed herself from her closet and took an empty seat in the back.

She had one of the highest grades in the class.

Soon, Jane was taking an array of classes. She intimidated some of her classmates—especially when they learned she had a potential master already—and impressed others. But Jane was proud of herself, no matter what others thought of her.

To Jane's dismay, two months had passed. And she still hadn't met her godfather.


	5. Chapter 4: Welcome Home Surprise

Chapter Four: Welcome Home Surprise

"It feels so good to be home," Seventeen year old Obi-Wan Kenobi said with a sigh.

"I agree," His Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, said as he took in the Coruscant scenery.

"After all those weeks on ration bars, I can't wait to dig into the cafeteria food," Obi-Wan said.

"Our own beds to sleep on," Qui-Gon said as they started to climb the stairs leading up to the Temple.

"Clean clothes and warm showers," Obi-Wan said wistfully.

"No more 2 AM wake-up calls," Qui-Gon said as they stepped inside the Temple. "Sleep as long as we want."

"No more-" Suddenly Obi-Wan stopped talking.

"What is it, Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked. But then he noticed it. "Why is everyone staring at us?"

"Actually, Master, I think they are all staring at _you_."

"What did I do?" Qui-Gon asked, very confused.

"I don't know," Obi-Wan said, then grinned. "Hey, there's Bant! Maybe she can tell us what's going on."

"Hi guys!" Bant said, giving both Jedi quick hugs. "How was your mission?"

"It was successful," Obi-Wan answered. "Bant, why is everyone staring at Master Qui-Gon?"

"Oh. That." Bant said, her smile dropping some. "Well, uh, you need to go see the Council. Come on, I'll take you!"

As they headed toward the Council Room, they passed a classroom whose students were just getting out for the day, chatting about the lesson. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were very surprised to see among the young teenagers a very small girl about three years old.

The little girl stopped discussing the Sith War with her classmates and stared at Qui-Gon. They both had looks on their faces that clearly said "Who are you?"

"Jane, I think you should come with us," Bant said calmly, though her eyes were panicking slightly.

The little girl—Jane—nodded and took Bant's hand.

Together, the four went up to the Council Room.

Bant opened the door and they all filed in, Jane still clutching Bant's webbed hands.

Qui-Gon knew it was a bad sign when all the Council Members exchanged glances and shifted awkwardly.

Then, Mace gestured to the small girl and said,

"Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, this is Jane Mago. She is the daughter of Jedi Knight Jocelyn Mago."

Both Master and Padawan gazed down at the little girl, amazed. Could she really be the missing Jedi's daughter?

"Then where is Knight Mago?" Qui-Gon asked.

"She died a few months ago. Jane then was escorted to Coruscant for the continuation of her training." Mace explained.

With no one watching her, Jane shifted. She hadn't been exactly honest about how she ended up at the Temple, but she wasn't about to mention that.

"Qui-Gon," Adi said softly. "Before she died, Jocelyn named Jane's guardian, who is to train her and encourage her to follow Corellian traditions."

Qui-Gon's brow furrowed. Why was the Council explaining all this to him? What did he have to do with this girl?

"Who is her guardian?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Qui-Gon," Yoda said. "Jane's godfather, you are."


	6. Chapter 5: Decisions, Decisions

Chapter Five: Decisions, Decisions

"Wh-what?" Qui-Gon sputtered out, looking between Master Yoda and Jane.

But his question went unanswered as stunned silence hung in the air.

"Obi-Wan, Jane," Bant said quickly. "How about I take you down to the cafeteria while the adults talk?"

Not giving either a chance to respond, Bant ushered the tiny girl and stunned older apprentice out of the room while Qui-Gon continued to attempt to meet the eyes of the Council members, who were all either staring out the window or at their hands in their laps.

Now the silence was just awkward. Qui-Gon was trying to decide which type he liked better.

"Qui-Gon," Ki-Adi Mundi started. "We know this is sudden, but you are the girl's guardian, and you must train her."

"I will respect Knight Mago's wish," Qui-Gon said. "As soon as the girl is of age, I will train her."

"No. You are to start her training immediately." Jorus C'boath said.

Qui-Gon stared at the Jedi Master in shock.

"But she is a youngling," He said, stunned.

"She is young, yes, but she is very talented," C'boath informed him. "Upon testing her, we have discovered that she has a very high IQ and that many of her skills are advanced. She has an accelerated vocabulary, a high reading level, excels in math and science, and in history—a subject she has only been studying for merely a few weeks—she can recall the date of any battle or event. She is also advanced in many Force and saber techniques that no child her age has done before. If her formal apprenticeship training begins now, she can easily become a Knight in ten years or so."

"A thirteen year old Knight?" Qui-Gon questioned.

"Yes, but then her training will continue on. She will train with different weapons, master the different fighting forms, and study with the best tacticians and military geniuses in the galaxy. She could do whatever she wants." C'boath explained with a maniac gleam in his eye.

_As long as whatever she does is approved by a committee, _Qui-Gon mentally finished, struggling not to grimace. He was appalled at what C'boath was alluding to:

That the Council was planning on grooming a talented but innocent three year old girl into a super-solider Jedi.

Qui-Gon had known that there were several members of the Jedi Order—led by C'boath—who believed that the Jedi should be the rulers of the galaxy, as they were "supreme" beings because they had the Force. He was afraid that they were going to use Jane to get the power they thought they deserved.

_I need to find a way to figure out how serious they are about this,_ Qui-Gon thought hastily.

"What about Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked. "While he is indeed nearing the end of his apprenticeship, he still needs a few more years of tutelage and I would like to be the one who sees him off to Knighthood."

Qui-Gon had the brief satisfaction of seeing all of the "Live by the Code or die" members of the Council have dark looks on their faces as Yaddle said, "Two Padawans, you are to have, though against the Code it is."

All it took was one sentence spoken without proper grammar to confirm Qui-Gon's fears.

Qui-Gon found himself in a conundrum. On one hand, he felt he would doom the child if he said that he would take her on. But on the other hand he felt he would doom her if he declined, and she was sent off to another Master, one who would blindly follow the Council's orders.

_But… if I take her on, I can at least protect her…_

"I will take Jane as my apprentice." Qui-Gon said after a brief moment of thought.

"Then we have no more to discuss," C'boath said, a satisfied smirk on his face.

And, with that, the Council members filed out of the room, except for the three Qui-Gon wanted to talk to.

"You want to turn the girl into a weapon." Qui-Gon stated, not accusingly.

"They do, Qui-Gon," Mace said softly. "Unfortunately, it was put to a vote. Master Yoda, Master Gallia and myself were the only votes against. We were outnumbered."

"Is she even my goddaughter?" Qui-Gon asked.

"She is," Adi said. "If you wish, you may see the documentation Jane brought us."

"I just don't understand," Qui-Gon said. "Why did Jocelyn want me to be Jane's master? Jocelyn and I were not close, and only spoke to each other in passing. So why did she leave her child into my care?"

"Jocelyn wants Jane to receive instruction in Corellian tradition as well as standard Temple training. She must have had a reason to believe you would give Jane the freedoms to do so," Mace paused. "Or disobey orders at the least."

Qui-Gon nodded. He remembered hearing about Jocelyn being denied by the Council to go to Corellia, and they had forbidden Adi from going there as well, guaranteeing that Jocelyn would receive no Corellian instruction, as many—if not nearly all—of the Jedi at the Temple avoided Corellia at all costs. The Corellian Jedi in turn made it a point to not drift too far from their own system. Qui-Gon was one of the few who believed that the Temple Jedi and the Corellian Jedi should unite and work together, sharing traditions, beliefs and training styles.

There were very few who would agree with him. Qui-Gon even doubted that Obi-Wan—his apprentice of many years who many days nearly worshipped the ground Qui-Gon walked on—would agree with him on the matter of the Corellian Jedi lifestyle.

But Qui-Gon knew it was prejudices and each believing their Code was superior to the other's—a belief drilled in by the elders to the young ones—that kept the two groups from uniting. And it was all on the matter of one thing: attachments.

The Temple Jedi believed that in order to become close to the Force, you couldn't love or be loved. Sadly, many took advantage of that; one-night stands were frequent and often, and many times throughout history was a female at the Temple pregnant, or a young man was brought a child whom he sired. The children of these unfortunate souls were then handed over to the Crèche and their parents shipped off on mission after mission. The parents and children were to have no interaction whatsoever.

However, the Corellians encouraged marriage and families and the importance of having someone you love in your life, a support system. Also, the Corellians believed that separating Force-sensitive children from their parents was destructive to both parties, a belief that the Temple Jedi had inadvertently proven to be true. As a result, parents, intermediate family or close family friends guided a child down the path of the Jedi.

Jocelyn had been an orphan, with no family to take care of and train her. After having met five-year-old Jocelyn after stopping on Corellia en route to Coruscant after a mission, Adi had become fond of the girl and offered to train her, which Jocelyn had accepted readily, surprising the Corellian elders. The head elder, however, saw that if Jocelyn went to the Temple, it could be the start of a stronger relationship with the Temple dwellers.

However, the Council did not agree.

Qui-Gon vividly remembered Master Yoda hitting members of the _pro tempore _Council on the head with his gimer stick at learning that they had forbidden both Jocelyn and Adi from returning to Corellia, demanding what else they had declared while he had been on his three-month pilgrimage to Dagobah. However, Yoda could not lift the declaration.

"Powerful, Jane is," Yoda said softly, jolting Qui-Gon back to the present. "Dangerous ally or dangerous enemy, she could become. Unless trained properly, she is."

"Qui-Gon, I know that look," Adi said suspiciously as she gazed at Qui-Gon, who was smirking slightly. "And I either love or hate the result that comes from it. What are you planning?"

"To train Jane, as I have been instructed, but to drag out her training," Qui-Gon stated, trying—and failing—to stop smirking. "Yes, Jane is smart, but she is also young. Her body is too young to have control over certain aspects of the Force. Or, at least, that is what I shall tell the rest of the Council when they ask. I won't discourage her to go further in her training, but it must be by her choice. This will also give her a chance to see if she wants to specialize in healing, or piloting or whatever she wants."

"Frequent missions might also help your plan," Mace suggested.

"Like this plan, I do," Yoda said approvingly.

"Then it's settled," Adi said, grinning broadly.

They all walked away feeling better about the situation that they first had.


	7. Chapter 6: A Brand New Mission!

**Now accpeting anonymous reviews. And giving virtual cookies to whoever figures out where I got the title of the chapter from!**

Chapter Six: A Brand New Mission! (What's It Gonna Be?)

Qui-Gon sat down on the bench, grateful for a chance to catch his breath. He had made the mistake of asking Jane to duel him. Not only was she good, but she never seemed to run out of energy. She had given Qui-Gon—who had planned on going easy on the girl—a decent beating before Qui-Gon called an end to the match.

"You _were_ warned, Master," Obi-Wan told his master dryly as he handed the man a cup of water.

"I know, I know," Qui-Gon said between sips, trying hard to ignore the laughter coming from the trainers, whom Jane was recounting the battle to, despite the fact that they had been present the entire time.

Qui-Gon studied Obi-Wan, who was looking at Jane with pursed lips.

"You are questioning my decision," Qui-Gon stated, not accusingly.

"She is three years old, Master. I know she's smart, I know her training had begun before she arrived here and that you are her guardian. But do you know how many initiates older than her are still waiting to become apprentices? And when they aren't taken, they are shipped away, not even to return to their families? Why is she different?"

"It is a complicated matter of politics that I will explain to you when the time is right," Qui-Gon said. "I understand your feelings on this matter. And I also agree with you."

Obi-Wan turned to his Master.

"Just because an initiate is not chosen does not mean they are not capable. It's not fair that those that aren't chosen are sent to the AgriCorps. The Code and the Council say that it is voluntary, but we both know it's not."

"Obi-Wan, if I could change the Code, I would," Qui-Gon said. "And that was what Jane's mother wanted."

"She wanted us to live as the Corellians do," Obi-Wan stated bitterly.

"And it's just a coincidence that, throughout history, there have been no Corellian Sith Lords?" Qui-Gon asked, an eyebrow raised.

Obi-Wan had no retort.

"I thought so," Qui-Gon said as he rose to his feet. "Now, come, I have something to tell both you and Jane."

Upon seeing Obi-Wan approach, Jane ran over to him excitedly. Despite that Obi-Wan was bitter and slightly jealous of the girl and generally treated her indifferently, Jane adored him as if he were her brother. She always wanted to talk to him or show him something.

"Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan did'ja see that slash-and-parry move I pulled on Master Qui-Gon? Huh? Did'ja?" Jane asked, her big hazel eyes looking up at Obi-Wan expectantly.

Before Obi-Wan could respond, Qui-Gon spoke.

"Jane, Obi-Wan, this morning the Council informed me that tomorrow we shall be leaving for a mission to the Hapes Cluster."

"Yippee!" Jane exclaimed, jumping up and down, clapping her hands excitedly. "I've read _all_ about the Hapes Cluster! There's 63 planets and they are all ruled by a Queen Mother. Qui-Gon, do we get to meet the Queen Mother? She's getting remarried soon, isn't she?"

"Yes, we will be meeting her and her suitor, who will soon become her consort," Qui-Gon said. "We will be trying to find out who is trying to kill him."

Jane was excited by the entire prospect while inwardly, Obi-Wan was groaning. Stuck for Force-only-knows-how-long in close proximity to the Galaxy's smartest, most hyperactive Force-sensitive three year old? Well, at least it was a mission…

The trio left the next morning without a hitch.

It took five days for the Jedi to get to Hapes. Jane was thrilled. This was the first time since her arrival on Coruscant that she could leave and see a planet other than Coruscant and Corellia. And it was also her first time being free to do what she wanted while traveling.

So, after asking what every single button in the cockpit did, she proceeded to get out paper and crayons and drew picture after picture. She also played music on a headset and danced for hours. The first "day", Qui-Gon let her stay up later than she should have because he couldn't bear to make her stop having fun.

The girl puzzled Obi-Wan. He had seen her in her classes, where she was calm, quiet and somber. You take her away from her fellow students and teachers and she's full of joy and laughter and you can't get her to slow down. She was friendly with everyone and just seemed to enjoy life. By some unspoken agreement between the them, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan decided to let her be.

But she was also impulsive, opinionated, rebellious and was often snarky or had a witty and sarcastic comeback ready. She rolled her eyes a great deal when she was being lectured on self-control and, while she didn't make it a habit to argue, she was good at standing by her argument and attempting to force her opponent to submit to her opinion.

Many of the older masters saw her as a challenge: to take the child and mold her into the perfect Jedi image. Obi-Wan had even heard one claim that it had to be his job because he did not trust Qui-Gon to do so, which led to Obi-Wan wondering what people thought of him and the results from his training with Qui-Gon.

Obi-Wan could handle the girl's crazy antics and quirks, but one thing he could not tolerate was the whispers about her. Everyone seemed obsessed with her, possibly even more so now that Qui-Gon had claimed her as his apprentice. Obi-Wan knew many people wondered if Jane was Qui-Gon's daughter. But Jane was practically a clone of her mother, so no one could determine any physical characteristics to link them.

But still… even Obi-Wan was wondering.

Doing the math, he knew that Jane was conceived before Tahl's death, and he knew Qui-Gon would never even want to sleep with a woman who was not Tahl, nor could he remember even seeing Qui-Gon and Jocelyn together more than once, which was shortly after the former took Obi-Wan on as his apprentice, and even then they seemed uncomfortable around each other and only talked for five minutes filled with idle chit-chat. But that led to more questions, as to what reason would Jocelyn choose Qui-Gon to train her only child.

Though Obi-Wan knew the chances of Qui-Gon being Jane's father were near to none, but Obi-Wan kept searching for similarities between the two. Obi-Wan knew it was jealousy of the little girl that was conducting the search, and he wondered how he would feel if he did find something that could link his master to the child…

He shook himself out of that thought. It didn't matter anyways who Jane's father was, right? Obi-Wan kept telling himself that.

On the "day" of their arrival to Hapes, Qui-Gon called the two Padawans to the cockpit and gave them more information on their assignment.

They discussed the lengths that had been taken to protect the children from the Queen Mother's first marriage, in particular Ta'a Chume—a girl several years older than Jane who was to inherit the throne—and her two younger sisters. Surprisingly, the princesses were not the target of the assassination attempts, but their mother, Queen Mother Ni'Korish, had sent the girls, their nannies and bodyguards to be sequestered in a fortress on Hapes that only the reigning Queen Mother knew the exact coordinates of the location.

Because the Jedi had been recruited by a Hapan diplomat, they were not allowed to be found to be Jedi, as the Queen Mother hated the Jedi. Apparently, the Queen Mother's younger brother had been killed by a rogue Jedi and she blamed the Jedi Order for not stopping the wayward Jedi. The diplomat, however, had trusted the Jedi ever since she had been rescued by one as a child; she knew that the Jedi were the only ones who could stop the assassins from killing the Queen's consort.

"We shall be pretending to be new palace slaves," Qui-Gon explained. "Or, at least, Obi-Wan and I shall be. Hapes is a female-dominated society and girls are never slaves or servants. That's why Jane will be given the position of bodyguard's apprentice. Like the Corellians, their training begins early."

Jane nodded while Obi-Wan hid a scowl.

_Of course Jane got a good job for the mission._ Obi-Wan thought. He wished he could stop being so jealous of the little girl.

"Master, are we going by our real names or do we need aliases?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Pseudonyms would be a good idea for this assignment." Qui-Gon said.

"I've got one!" Jane said with a broad grin as she thrust her hand in the air.

"That was quick," Obi-Wan said, surprised. It usually took him and Qui-Gon three hours of browsing baby name websites on their datapads before even coming up with a short list with suitable names.

"What is your new name, then, Jane?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Jasmine," Jane said proudly. "Like the flower."

"That's a very nice name," Qui-Gon complimented.

"And I got names for you and Obi-Wan, too!" Jane said.

"You do?" Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan asked at the same time.

"Yep. Han for Master Qui-Gon and Ben for Obi-Wan," Jane said, looking back and forth between the two, searching for their reactions.

Both Jedi contemplated the names.

"I like it," Obi-Wan said grudgingly after a moment of thought. "'Ben'. Short and quick. It's a perfect name, especially for a position where someone could need assistance quickly."

"I agree," Qui-Gon said. "What do the names mean, Jane?"

"Ben means 'son'," Jane explained. "I think it really fits Obi-Wan. Besides, Ben is a name you can be anyone with. You could be an inventor, or a superhero, or a doctor, or politician or a crazy old hermit and it would just sort of fit."

"And what does 'Han' mean?" Qui-Gon asked.

"It means 'God is gracious'," Jane said.

"Which god?" Obi-Wan asked.

Jane simply raised an eyebrow and responded,

"The only God."

"I didn't think the Corellians were monotheistic," Qui-Gon said.

"Most aren't," Jane said. "But my mom and I didn't follow standard Corellian religion. The woman who trained my mother in the Corellian traditions was an outcast because she preached about a single, powerful, loving God and-" Jane was interrupted by a beeping noise.

"Sounds like we're coming out of hyperspace," Jane said. "I'll tell you more later."

As Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan prepared for departing hyperspace, they were silently amazed by Jane's ability to leave them in stunned silence.


	8. Chapter 7: Mission Mishaps

**AN: First, I'd like to say thank you for the reviews. Second, I want to acknowledge that, yes, Jane is a bit of a Mary Sue. But I have my reasons for a lot of things, i.e. her age, her lightsaber skills, her genius, etc. Yes, some of it is trivial or unrealistic and could be left off and only a little bit is absolutely neccessary for the story. I hope when I do the eventual re-write, I will be able to improve Jane and leave out many of these details that hinder the process of the story. As the author, I like her the way she is, because this is how she came into my head, but I know that she is a more than a bit Barbie-like. I've also been taking this into account as I continue her tale in the stories following. Please keep reviewing, with both praise and criticism. While I would love to only take the former, I know I need both to be able to become a better writer, a goal I would like to achieve.  
**  
**Thank you! :)**

Chapter Seven: Mission Mishaps

It was an unusual mission, to say the least.

Their descent on Hapes had gone smoothly. However, their reception was… peculiar.

They were greeted by the diplomat who had requested their presence and her daughter (who was acting as her aide) who was around Obi-Wan's age. Once given a recap on the situation, the diplomat gave the Jedi their assignments: Qui-Gon was to work in the palace library, where the Prince consort spent most of his time during the day; Obi-Wan was to work in the kitchens, in case an assassin would try and poison the food; and Jane was given the details of her assignments and "background" for bodyguard training. The three would be able to reconvene several times a week in a secret location to discuss anything they found suspicious.

The diplomat was concerned about Jane and how young she was, especially when she learned that this was Jane's first mission, but her worries were put to ease when Jane was given an exam about different types of weapons and how to detect snipers. Her fears were further quelled when she watched Jane easily impress the seniority with her calm demeanor and how she handled herself with maturity around the diplomats, advisors and the Queen.

But Jane did have one worry that left her awake at night.

Though Queen Ni'Korish seemed to be cold and slightly harsh with everyone, she seemed to be even more so with Jane, even though Jane had done nothing wrong to offend or insult her. Jane began to worry that the Queen had begun to suspect that the new trainee was a Jedi, a fact that no one outside of the diplomat, her aide, the head guard and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan knew.

Fortunately, while Jane was fretting over this, there had only been two assassination attempt in the two weeks the Jedi were there.

The first attempt took place when Jane had been following the Queen and her fiancé as they took a walk in the gardens along with two preteen girls who were also in guard training. Jane had spotted a glint of metal from a sniper rifle and, after discretely motioning to the other girls what she saw, the sniper was taken care of. But not before a shot was fired.

Thinking it was going to hit one of the other guards, Jane redirected the bolt with the Force so that the bolt hit the ground a few inches from the guards feet. No one saw it. Except the Queen, who glared daggers at Jane.

_Dun dun duh, I'm dead._ Jane thought with a silent gulp, praying that the Queen would think that she had Force-sensitivity, but no training. After all, her records said she had been born in the Hapan countryside and been in bodyguard training since birth.

But thankfully the Queen asked no questions, but did start treating Jane a little more harshly than before. Unfortunately, the sniper they caught had taken a suicide pill before he could answer any questions, so the threat of assassination was still wide and prominent.

Throughout this time, Ni'Korish seemed on edge, and she insisted on her wedding preparations being rushed. Her advisors, the diplomats and even her fiancé assumed that she wanted the wedding to take place because of the assassination attempts, but Jane found out the true reason.

Jane was alone with Ni'Korish in the throne room while she looked over some documents. It was late evening and the other diplomats had gone to dinner and then to their quarters and Jane was waiting for her replacement so that she could get some dinner. She decided to stretch out with the Force to examine the room. What she found surprised her.

She and the Queen Mother were not the only presences in the room. There was a third person.

But this third person wasn't even born yet.

_Does her fiancé know?_ Jane wondered, now knowing why Ni'Korish was constantly on edge. _But if he knows, why doesn't she tell her advisors? Why push the wedding?_

Then the reason why hit her:

The baby wasn't her fiancé's.

At this realization, Jane realized Ni'Korish was watching her. And just figured out both Jane's secret and that Jane had discovered hers.

Neither said a word, but just stared at each other. Jane was relieved when the senior guard came in.

"Jasmine, you are needed. There was another attempt on the Prince Consort's life. The cowards have escaped, heading for the nearby moon station. You are to go and track them. Meet your partners in the hanger."

Jane nodded and ran out of the room, not looking back once as she dashed towards the palace hanger, not wasting a second. The assassins already had a head start because it took a while to discover where they were going.

Though she had seen both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan since the mission began, that didn't mean their appearances were any less surprising when she saw them. Obi-Wan's hair was out of his ponytail and Padawan braid and his hair hung loosely around his neck, held back with a thin leather band that went around his forehead, and Qui-Gon's hair was in a similar variation. They had both changed back into their Jedi beige, robes and boots instead of the plain white outfits they had worn as palace slaves, but hadn't managed to get their hair into their regular styles.

Jane raced up the gangway to join them on their ship and they began the short journey towards the moon.

"You have enough time to change clothes if you want to, Jane," Qui-Gon told her.

Jane looked down at her outfit: black leather pants and boots with a black padded tunic that was blaster-bolt proof, a belt full of weaponry (which she had just topped off with her lightsaber) and a tight braid one of the older trainees had done for her that morning.

"Nah, I'm good," Jane said.

"Suit yourself," Qui-Gon said with a shrug.

They arrived at the station a half-hour later. Unfortunately, this meant that their arrival was announced to all the public places on the moon's station, which gave the assassins enough time to hear the announcement and leave to hide on the moon's surface. Upon landing, the station commander informed them that three suits had been stolen and the airlock had been opened, a scenario that fit as there had been three assassins.

A few minutes later, Jane was looking around the moon station in awe of what the Hapans could build on the airless satellite moon. She knew the task of building a station as such was risky, heavy on labor and potentially hazardous, as many people could die if one thing went wrong.

"I hope we find our assassins quickly," Obi-Wan said. "I am not looking forward to the prospect of being out on the moon's surface for a long time."

"Nor am I," Qui-Gon said, every once in a while looking over at Jane to ensure that she was still there, even though he had a firm grip on her small hand. "Particularly if we have to fight them. If the suits get ripped, we could easily die from the lack of air."

"Well, then why don't we just use the Moon Ponies to track them down?" Jane asked.

Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stopped dead in their tracks.

"Moon Ponies?" Obi-Wan asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. I read that this moon had a lot of mares." Jane said.

"Mares?" Qui-Gon repeated.

"Yeah. You know, girl ponies." Jane said matter-of-factly.

"Jane, the thing you read this from, it didn't have a pronunciation guide, did it?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Well, no, it didn't. Why?"

"Because, it's not pronounced mares. It's pronounced 'mah-ray'," Qui-Gon said patiently, ignoring the fact that Obi-Wan was standing behind him, his palm pressed against his forehead, muttering darkly to himself. "It means 'seas'."

"That's stupid. There's no water here," Jane pointed out.

"Mares are where there are smooth surfaces that haven't been hit by craters or asteroids." Qui-Gon said.

"But why are they called seas if there's no water?" Jane asked. "Why not just call them 'plains' or something like that?"

Neither Jedi had an argument for that, but now began to ponder Jane's question.

"Let's… just go find our assassins," Qui-Gon said.

The Jedi then went to become equipped with space-suits and breathing apparatus. Jane was thrilled when a suit was produced that was her size, thinking she would have to remain behind. Fortunately they had one member of the station that was a Gamgee, a short alien species that were the size of human toddlers from Meedle Orth, one of the sixty-three planets in the Hapes Cluster. Qui-Gon was, however, worried. He had never seen Jane duel someone who was intentionally trying to hurt her or take on multiple foes at once and he wasn't sure if she could handle it.

_There's a first time for everything, I guess,_ Qui-Gon thought as he and his two Padawans headed out the airlock.

He soon found out how Jane handled herself in a fight. The assassins had practically left a trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow.

"They aren't very good assassins, are they?" Jane asked as Obi-Wan picked up the credit chips, obviously from their payment, which led the Jedi right to the foes, who were in the midst of arguing over whose fault the loss of money was.

One of the assassins wasn't as brave as the other two, because they quickly engaged in shooting at Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, who easily deflected the bolts with their lightsabers. This poor soul took out a knife and hurled it towards Jane.

She saw him prepare to do so, but didn't move. Instead, she watched as the dagger landed on the rocky terrain at the assassin's feet, who stared at it in disbelief.

"Really?" Jane asked, an eyebrow cocked, though he couldn't see it. "I'm three and I knew that was going to happen. What part of 'airless moon' did you not get?"

This assassin just gave up and sat on the ground with his hands on his heads, and Jane quickly tied him up.

"So, you wanna go ahead and tell me who hired you bozos?" Jane asked as she took all the assassin's weapons.

"The Queen's first husband's family. They wanted her to marry her late husband's younger brother, to keep the power their family has. They were trying to kill the consort so that he would be her second choice." The assassin said.

Jane nodded. She wondered vaguely if this younger brother could be the father of the Queen's baby. She also wondered if she would ever find out.

Jane stood up and turned just in time to see Qui-Gon receive a blaster shot to the shoulder. Without a second though, Jane sealed Qui-Gon's suit with the Force so that, while he still had the blaster shot to deal with, he did not have to worry about losing oxygen. With Qui-Gon in pain and Obi-Wan occupied with tying up the other assassin, the one who injured Qui-Gon raised his blaster to shoot at Jane, but he stopped as they heard a strange sound in the distance.

They all turned and stared over the moon's curvature, which gave Jane enough time to call the remaining assassin's weapons to her and for Obi-Wan to finish tying up the remaining two.

"Uh, what was that?" The assassin at Jane's feet asked nervously.

"I… don't know," Qui-Gon said.

"Shh. Listen." Jane whispered.

"Is that… _hoof-beats_?" Obi-Wan asked.

Then a herd of strange horse-like creatures came over. They were many different shapes and sizes and colors. Some had unicorn horns while others didn't. And they all had a different mark on their hindquarters. They neighed and whinnied and ran up to the small group.

"I thought you said Moon Ponies didn't exist!" Jane said, throwing her arms around a light pink horse with a hot pink mane with images of balloons on her hindquarters.

Obi-Wan stood with his mouth agape, then he shook his head and pressed the palm of his hand to his forehead.

"I must be losing oxygen." Obi-Wan said in disbelief.

"Dude," One assassin whispered to his friend. "You see the ponies too?"

"Yeah." His friend responded.

"Oh, thank the Force," The first one said with a sigh of relief.

"They're so sweet!" Jane said as one pony licked her suit's helmet and she giggled. "Will you guys get us back to the station?"

"Jane, I highly doubt they understand-" But Obi-Wan was cut off as a dark green horse with a black mane motioned for Obi-Wan to get on his back. He was about to decline when he saw Qui-Gon climb onto a horse, favoring his left arm.

"Really, Master?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Eh. It may be a hallucination, but this one should get us back to safety. And our friends here to a prison block." Qui-Gon said, gesturing to the assassins, who were each hanging by their suits in the mouth of a strong buck.

"You're such a good Moon Pony," Jane said with a giggle as she wrapped her arms around her pony's neck. "I think I'll call you… Twinky Pie!"

"I must be losing oxygen," Obi-Wan said, resigning to climb on the back of the horse. "Dreaming. Hallucinating. Going crazy. Moon Ponies. Mares. Water on the moon. I'm going to wake up in a bacta tank and everything will be fine. I am never going to an airless moon again."


	9. Chapter 8: Bonding Time

**AN: Yeah... about the last chapter... The Moon Ponies started out as a private joke from an astronomy course I took when I wrote the chapter (It too had a poor pronunciation guide). Also, it was to poke fun at my 'Goth' sister who was at the time obsessed with the new My Little Pony Show. That plan failed epically because, now she's apathetic about it and I'm the one obsessed.**

**Anyways. There is a song that goes with this chapter. The song is Daughters by John Mayer and this symbol # will tell you when to hit play if you want to listen while you read.**

Chapter Eight: Bonding Time

"And then the Moon Ponies brought us here!" Jane said as she finished telling the young woman behind the registration desk the story of how they gotten to the medcenter, where Qui-Gon was currently being treated for his shoulder wound.

The young woman was smiling, but she glanced with wide-eyes at Obi-Wan, who was finishing up filling out the paperwork.

"Believe it or not, she's not making this up," Obi-Wan said, not looking up.

"Okay," The young woman squeaked. She sat there looking back and forth between the two then and when Obi-Wan handed her back the clipboard, she told them they could go, then she hastily made her way into the back. She didn't return, but neither Padawan really cared.

Obi-Wan leaned back on the couch in the waiting room, while Jane sat beside him, resting from the day's adventure while doodling on a piece of paper. To his surprise, he discovered she was left-handed, something he hadn't noticed before.

Obi-Wan studied Jane in the quiet and watched her draw. Her drawings were not childlike. She took her time and the shapes were easy to make out. Obi-Wan smiled briefly when he saw that she was drawing a Moon Pony.

He watched as she began to color and shade in the pony for a few minutes, then returned to studying her. He wondered, if did find one trait that was similar to Qui-Gon, if he would be relieved or-

"He's not my father," Jane said softly.

"Pardon?" Obi-Wan said, shaking himself out of his reverie.

"Qui-Gon is not my father, though I wish he was," Jane said. She looked up at Obi-Wan. "I hear the talk around the Temple. I know you wonder if the rumors are true. I can deny them one hundred percent."

"I have a feeling you are not going to be forthcoming with telling us who your father really is, then," Obi-Wan said.

"A girl's gotta have some secrets, right?" Jane said with a grin before she returned to her drawing.

With a sigh, Obi-Wan turned to stare out the window. Then he chuckled.

"Weird to think we were out there tonight. With the stars," Obi-Wan said.

"_A billion bright and holy beams of light that travels far. Began the trip from His fingertips the wonder of the stars. Affirm the signs and seasons, so silently they sing of the wonder of their Kindler, the power of their King._" Jane sang softly. (1)

"That's pretty," Obi-Wan said. "Where did you hear that?"

"It's a song my mommy used to sing to me at night on summer nights. We would lay there and find all the constellations and tell each other about the myths those constellations were paired with. Mommy would tell me all about the planets she visited, the ones she thought I should see when I was older," Jane said. She was smiling as she said it, but it was clear that talking about her mother hurt.

"You miss her." Obi-Wan said.

"A lot," Jane said sadly. "But it's okay, because I know I'm going to see her again someday and I know that she won't ever be in pain again."

"This might sound like a really personal question," Obi-Wan said. "And I'm okay with it if you don't want to answer, but, how did your mother die?"

Jane looked down at her drawing and sighed.

"Everything was fine. Then, one day, she got sick. At first, she and Nonna—the woman who trained my mother on Corellia—thought it was just the flu. She went to the doctor, and the doctor thought it was the flu and gave her some medicine. It was clear the medicine wasn't working. Soon, she was in so much pain, she couldn't move without crying, though I know she tried hard not to," Jane closed her eyes, then opened them again quickly, wiping away tears. "Nonna dragged her back to the doctors. The doctors put her in the hospital. I don't think there was anything they could have done, because it was nothing they had ever seen. Some doctors from off-planet came, and so did some of the local Jedi healers, but they couldn't heal her. All this happened within two months.

"Nonna and mommy spent a long time talking, making plans. They were both very worried about me, and they didn't want me to become a ward of the state. Nonna was too old to take care of me. So Mommy asked for a lawyer to come and help her fill out all the papers to assign me a guardian. A week later after she completed them, she was dead."

Obi-Wan felt sorry for the little girl. Many students at the Temple had no memory of their times with their families. For Jane's time with her mother to end as it did was heartbreaking.

"I'm sorry," Was all Obi-Wan could get out.

"No. It's okay. I know she's okay, and that she knows that I'm okay with you and Qui-Gon," Jane said. She finished a stroke with her pencils and grinned. "What do you think?"

Obi-Wan looked at Jane's picture and grinned. The horse was light blue with a rainbow-colored mane.

"I like it," He said. "Does the pony have a name?"

"Yes. Her name is Bouncing Rainbow," Jane said.

"Good name for a Moon Pony," Obi-Wan said.

"Thanks," Jane said, brushing her Padawan braid out of her face. "Hey, I just realized, you still haven't gotten your Padawan braid fixed." Jane pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Obi-Wan said, fingering his hair lightly. "I didn't have time on the way here and haven't had time since."

"I'll do it for you if you want," Jane offered.

"Sure," Obi-Wan said. Jane "stood" on her knees and carefully began the process of braiding a portion of the older Padawan's hair.

"Obi-Wan," Jane said softly.

"Yes, Jane?"

"Thanks."

"For what?" Obi-Wan asked.

"For letting me be a kid around you. I… I couldn't really do that at the Temple," Jane said.

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked.

Jane paused for a second before speaking again.

"I think that the worst mistake I've ever made, was letting the Masters at the Temple know how smart and advanced I am. Now I'm always being watched, always expected to be perfect. Expected the be the good little quiet girl who does everything she's told, yet encouraged to show off for other people. At least, that's how I feel around that really creepy old dude in the Council."

"C'Boath?" Obi-Wan said. Jane nodded. "Yeah, he's always creeped me out a lot, too,"

"Yeah. That guy is one twisted duck," Jane said with a shake of her head.

"What's a duck?" Obi-Wan asked, his brow furrowed.

"I don't really know," Jane said with a shrug. "It's just a phrase Nonna would use to describe someone she thought was corrupt or had evil intentions. Mostly she used it to describe politicians. Anyways, the point is, I never had to be something I'm not around you and Qui-Gon. There, that should do it," Jane said, finishing tying off Obi-Wan's Padawan braid.

#

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said, pulling back the rest of his hair.

"You're welcome," Jane said. Her grin grew broader as she heard a song start up on the radio by the receptionists' station. "Ooh, I love this song! Obi-Wan, will you dance with me?"

Before Obi-Wan had a chance to respond, he was on his feet and both his hands were being clasped by Jane's small hands.

Jane started swaying to the music and gave Obi-Wan a look when he didn't do the same. Awkwardly, Obi-Wan began to sway as well.

By the time the first chorus came around, Jane had Obi-Wan moving more comfortably with the music.

By the time the chorus came around the second time, he was actually having fun.

By the last notes, they were both laughing and dancing silly.

By the time they were back in their seats, Obi-Wan couldn't imagine life without this adorable little girl.

Half an hour later, Jane sat on Obi-Wan's lap, the lights around them dimmed and her eyes half closed while Obi-Wan ran his fingers over her brown locks.

"Hey, Jane, you know what?" Obi-Wan said in whisper.

"No, what?" Jane asked.

"I've always wanted a little sister," Obi-Wan told her, gently kissing the top of her head.

"Well, that works out," Jane said with a yawn. " 'Cause I've always wanted a big brother."

Qui-Gon woke up with something warm at his side. Moving his hand over it, he discovered that it was moving. No, not moving, breathing.

He smiled as he looked down at Jane, curled up under his good arm, while the other arm was bandaged and had an IV placed in the crook of his arm. On Qui-Gon's other side was Obi-Wan, fast asleep in the armchair beside Qui-Gon's bed.

Qui-Gon smiled as he felt at peace with his two Padawans. There was a silent knock on the door and an older woman Qui-Gon assumed was a nurse entered the room. Qui-Gon carefully gestured for her to be quiet, so as to not wake the two apprentices. The woman smiled and nodded. After checking the dressing on Qui-Gon's wound and taking his vitals, she whispered to him,

"You are very lucky. Not many people would have survived if they had been shot out there."

"Yes, I am quite lucky," Qui-Gon said, looking down at Jane. If not for her quick reaction, he would be dead.

As the nurse left, Qui-Gon was filled with a sense of dread as he looked down at his precious goddaughter.

What if he _had_ died?

He knew Obi-Wan would be alright in the hands of another Master, but what about Jane? Given the precarious situation by which he took her on, he was scared to think of what would happen to her if he was unable to take care of her. She would become the Council's pet, forced to do whatever they desired.

Jane had such a free spirit, such a passion for life, such a desire to love and be loved. That would all be gone if her life was chosen by a committee. There would be no music to dance to, no pictures to paint, no peals of laughter to lighten hearts. She would be molded to become the perfect Jedi, as uncaring as a machine. There was too much room in the little girl's heart for that to happen.

Qui-Gon knew he couldn't let that happen to her. He just didn't know how to protect her long after he had joined the Force.

At least, he didn't know yet.

* * *

1: Lyric from the song "Starkindler" by Michael Card

**PS: This is the last chapter with Jane being three years old.**


	10. Chapter 9: Illum and Secrets

**AN: Because I've plotted myself into a corner and there are aspects I want to touch on and other parts of the story I want told (primarily family fluff with Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Jane) I am going to be posting a vignette series that ties-in to the story and it's sequels. It will be titled 'A Speck of Green in a Sea of Brown'.**

**Now, onto the chapter notes. This chapter will start setting off events to happen later in the story. It will also explain a bit of why Jane is the way she is. Hopefully, it will all make sense in the long run. Enjoy!**

Chapter Nine: Ilum and Secrets

Jane took a deep breath as she followed Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan off the ship, absentmindedly twisting one of the earrings in her newly pierced ears—a gift from Qui-Gon for her fifth birthday the week before.

She looked around Illum, her eyes searching for the mountain filled with caverns where she would build a lightsaber of her own, instead of using spare ones from the Temple.

She double-checked the pouch at her waist full of tools and parts for her lightsaber, knowing she'd find pre-made hulls and the focusing crystal inside the cave.

She followed her Master and Obi-Wan up the snow covered hills, shivering underneath her heavy coat. Finally, they stopped at the top of a hill. Qui-Gon pointed to a castle-like structure carved out of the mountain with his gloved hand at the top of the next hill.

"That is where you will find the rest of the materials to build your lightsaber and where you will construct it. Obi-Wan and I will wait here for your return. Do you have everything you need?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Yes, Master," Jane said, patting her pouch gently.

"Then you may begin your journey, Padawan," Qui-Gon said. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Master," Jane said with a bow. Then she proceeded to run down the hill, up the next one and into the old stone fortress.

Obi-Wan bit his lip nervously as he watched as she entered the caves.

"Think she'll be alright?" Obi-Wan asked, rubbing his hands together for warmth as he entered the tent he and Qui-Gon had set up minutes before.

"I know she'll be fine," Qui-Gon said as he sat down and began to fiddle with the space heater. "Come sit with me, Padawan. We have things to discuss while we are alone."

"We do?" Obi-Wan asked as he positioned himself across from his Master.

"Yes," Qui-Gon said. He sighed, then looked at Obi-Wan. "Two years ago, shortly after I took Jane on as my apprentice, you asked me what was so special about her that I took on a three year old as my Padawan."

"I remember," Obi-Wan said, remembering his initial jealousy of Jane's ability to capture attention—Qui-Gon's in particular. He hadn't liked sharing his Master, but had been mature enough to hide it, for which he was grateful because in two short years he and Jane were very close and many days they drove Qui-Gon insane by finishing the other's sentences.

"Do you remember what I told you in response?" Qui-Gon asked.

"That it was a matter of politics that we would discuss when the time is right," Obi-Wan said. Then he sat up straighter. "May I assume that that time is now, Master?"

"Yes, my Padawan, it is," Qui-Gon said. "After explaining that Jane's mother wanted me to train her, I told the Council that I would train her after your training was completed and she was of age to become an apprentice. I was then informed that I needed to begin her training then because of how strong and smart she is, so that in ten years or so, she could be knighted."

"Well, whoever came up with that plan didn't think it all the way through," Obi-Wan said with a slight smile. "The Council does not want to have to deal with a knight going through puberty."

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said in a warning tone.

"I'm sorry, Master, but, really, why would anyone want Jane to become a knight so young?" Obi-Wan asked.

"To further her training." Qui-Gon said softly.

"In what?" Obi-Wan asked, the grin disappearing from his face.

"In anything the Council wants."

It took a moment for Obi-Wan to fully comprehend what Qui-Gon was saying and his eyes widened.

"They want to turn Jane into a weapon," Obi-Wan whispered.

Qui-Gon nodded.

"While I am Jane's guardian, she is under my protection. Masters Yoda, Windu and Gallia are helping to protect Jane. But shortly after our mission to Hapes, I began to worry. What would happen to Jane if I died? After several long discussions with Master Yoda, we came to a conclusion: I will find a lawyer and write out my Last Will and Testament, passing on my guardianship of Jane to whomever I choose.

"And I've chosen you, Obi-Wan, to train and protect Jane after I've joined the Force."

"Me?" Obi-Wan asked, his eyes widening again. "Are you sure?"

"I can think of no one better for the job, nor anyone Jane would trust more than you. Do you accept?"

"Of course I do," Obi-Wan said. "Are we to tell Jane?"

"No. I do not wish for her to know she's thought of as a potential weapon just yet. However, when we return to Coruscant, I will need you to be a witness, along with Master Yoda, upon completing the will."

Obi-Wan nodded.

"This is why C'boath is accusing you of being a bad master, isn't it?" Obi-Wan asked.

The week before—the day after Jane's birthday—Qui-Gon and C'boath had a long and loud "conversation" in the hall while Qui-Gon was trying to defend his teaching techniques and C'boath telling him that, if he was a good Master, Jane would have completed her own lightsaber. Other Council members, prompted by C'boath's argument, agreed that it was time for Jane to build her own blade. Qui-Gon could not argue his case—or get in any other word for that matter—and the next thing the trio knew, they were packing for their trip.

"Yes, it is," Qui-Gon said. "Yoda may be the Grand Master, but C'boath holds a lot of power over a majority of the Council."

"How did C'boath get into the Council to begin with?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Like with his promotion to Master, it was self-imposed," Qui-Gon explained. "His beliefs about the Jedi and their place in the Galaxy have motivated a lot of people in the Temple. Many of those are beginning to teach their apprentices the same belief. It is a frequent argument amongst mentors over what is right and what is wrong for us to teach our Padawans."

"As Jedi, we are to make sure that peace rules the galaxy, but not rule the galaxy ourselves," Obi-Wan said, feeling a growing distaste for C'boath as the conversation progressed.

Qui-Gon sighed.

"This is why Master Yoda doesn't take pilgrimages to Dagobah anymore. Every time he leaves, he comes back to find the Temple in a bad state. Like Jane says, C'boath is one twisted duck," He said. "Speaking of Jane, I wonder how she is doing…"

Jane was not having much luck.

None of the materials for the hulls fit quite right for her growing hands. Everything was either too small or too big.

Jane sat against the wall of the temple in near tears. She knew exactly what she wanted for her lightsaber hilt. It had been the first lightsaber she had held: her mother's.

She remembered her tiny hands—well, tinier hands—that were wrapped around it, shivering from the sudden warmth in her hands, feeling the vibrations of the blade, hearing the comforting buzzing sound, being mesmerized by the green shade of the blade.

Jane had hoped she would be able to use the focusing crystal from her mother's lightsaber, but Jocelyn had requested that the crystal be turned into a pendant and for that pendant to be the only jewelry she wore to be buried in.

Jane sighed. She had been thinking about her mother more and more since her birthday, thinking about her last days with her mother, the last days of her former life.

"Little lamb, by now you should know that it does not do one well to dwell on the past."

Jane's head shot out of her hands.

"Nonna?" She whispered in shock as she clambered to her feet, utterly shocked to see a ghost of the old woman who had raised her in her infant years standing before her. "Nonna, I had heard that you were—but I never really—are you really—?"

"Yes, my lamb, I have passed on," Nonna said, her fingers trailing over Jane's cheek. Her blue eyes twinkled as she smiled softly at Jane. "But that is not why I am here. You need to know."

"About what?" Jane asked, confused. She knew practically everything already. What didn't she know?

"Little lamb," Nonna said. "I know you are starting to regret your vast knowledge. I know it makes you stand out in a way you'd rather not. But this is a gift and you must treat it that way."

"Who is it a gift from, the Force or from up above?" Jane asked.

"In a way, both," Nonna said, a smile dancing over her lips. "When you were born, one of the Seers on Corellia foretold that you would be instrumental in bringing peace and order to the Galaxy after many decades of conflict, conflict that I believe you seen signs of on recent missions."

Jane couldn't deny it. Politicians were getting edgy and irritated with Chancellor Valorum. The Trade Federation was starting to show signs of rebellion, and there had been rumors that they had been ordering battle droids made, rumors that the Trade Federation's leader Nute Gunray denied. Of course, not many people believed him.

"How exactly does my 'gift' play into all that, though?" Jane asked.

"You're here, aren't you?" Nonna said, one pale eyebrow arched. "You are the youngest apprentice in the history of both the Temple Jedi and the Corellian Jedi, and you are here to complete your first lightsaber."

"Trying to, at least," Jane said, glancing woefully over her shoulder at all the discarded lightsaber hulls.

"Which reminds me," Nonna said, reaching into one of her long sleeves. "Your mother asked me to bring you this. She had hoped to find a way to give it to you on your birthday, but we agreed that now seemed more appropriate. Ah, here it is!"

Jane's eyes widened and filled with tears as Nonna revealed the hilt of Jocelyn Mago's lightsaber.

Nonna placed the hilt in Jane's hands; it felt just as she remembered it. Somewhere in her head, Jane was wondering how Nonna—a ghost—had managed to give her a solid object. The rest of her brain didn't care. She was just so happy to hold the lightsaber she had begun her training with, remembering all the happy times with her mother and Nonna.

"Thank you," Jane whispered.

Nonna smiled and brushed Jane's Padawan braid out of the girl's face.

"I have a few more words of wisdom for you before I leave you," Nonna said. "First of all, always remember that there are easier ways to defeat an enemy than with the weapon you are about to make. 'Therefore, if your enemy hungers, feed him. If he thirsts, give him a drink. For in doing so you will heap coals of fire on his head'." [Romans 12:20]

"Kill 'em with kindness," Jane whispered with a nod. "Got it."

"Second, 'do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good'," Nonna said. "This is hard, as you will discover in the coming years. Evil is everywhere. And there are some evils goodness cannot overcome. Death is one of them. It is not our job as mere mortals to challenge death, or to rid the galaxy of it." [Romans 12:21]

Again Jane nodded.

"Now, this is the most important piece of wisdom I can give you: 'we are children of light and children of the day. We are not of the night and the darkness'." Nonna said, placing a hand on Jane's head. [1 Thessalonians 5:5]

Jane sighed and looked at her feet.

"But I am a child of both, of the Light and the Dark," Jane whispered. "I can turn either way."

"At the moment you are a daybreak child, a twilight child," Nonna said. "Neither fully in the light of the day, nor in the blackness of the night. The time will come when you will have to choose what you become. I just pray that you will remember my words, and those of your mother, and those of your Master when that time comes.

"Thank you Nonna," Jane said with a nod.

"My time is drawing to a close here, my precious lamb," Nonna said. "So, I must deliver a message and say my good-byes, for the next time you see me, you will have passed on as well.

"Your mother wants you to know that she loves you dearly, and is very proud of you, and I second both," Nonna said. "You are becoming a strong, fine, independent and beautiful young woman. She also pleads that you will never forget your roots and not conform under the pressure of the Jedi Masters to become something you are not. And, lastly, she asked for me to tell you that, one day, you are going to have to reveal who you are, both your parentage and your real name. She knows why you hide both, but she also knows that you can't keep the façade up forever."

Jane sighed.

"I know. As soon as I figure out a way to tell Qui-Gon the truth, I will." Jane promised.

"You worry he and Obi-Wan will not love you if they know the truth," Nonna said. "But know that they love you for your big heart and fierce personality. Not for your powers or genius. Remember that."

Jane nodded.

"I will, Nonna," Jane whispered.

"Thank you," Nonna said. She bent down and kissed Jane's forehead. "I love you, my little lamb."

"I love you, too, Nonna," Jane said. "And will you tell Mommy that I love her?"

"I will," Nonna said as she straightened up. She waved at Jane…

…and then she was gone, leaving Jane alone once again.

The hull of her mother's lightsaber in hand, Jane took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She stretched out with the Force, searching, searching, searching, until she…

_Found it._

Jane grinned and made her way past the thousands of gems and crystals, following the Force-sense through the caverns of the temple. Finally, she came into a room filled with mounds of gems and crystals in about a million different shades and colors, all perfect in size and shape. She walked past them all to find, lying abandoned on the floor, a gem about the length of her palm that was the exact shade of green her eyes turned when she was extremely happy. It wasn't the ideal size, nor was it the right cut; it would have to be shaped and molded.

As Jane held the gem in her hand, she saw through the Force that this gem had been overlooked many times as it lay alone in the dust and dirt amid the mounds and mounds of beautiful gems. It had never been picked simply because it was simply in the wrong place and because it would mean work to use the crystal. Those who came to build their lightsaber would rather use an already perfect crystal than one they would have to shape.

_Like the Jedi,_ Jane thought. _They'd rather take the perfect ones and use only them. The imperfect ones just won't do. They don't want to take the time to shape them._

Still, Jane was proud of her find as she sat down and began to shape the crystal to perfection.

Two hours later, Jane was putting the pieces of the lightsaber together and an hour after that, she had her completed lightsaber in her hands.

She shivered from the sudden drop in temperature as she stepped outside and began to climb back to where she had left Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. She was not surprised to see them waiting for her.

"So?" Qui-Gon said, the corner of his mouth lifting.

"I did it," Jane said, unclipping the weapon from her belt. She activated the lightsaber, felt the vibrations in her hands and beamed with pride as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan marveled at the brilliant green blade.

"It's wonderful, Jane," Obi-Wan said. Then his brow furrowed. "Hey, that hilt looks familiar…"

"Is that your mother's hilt?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Yeah," Jane said, smiling as she ran her finger over the metal.

"Where did-?" Obi-Wan started to ask, but Jane cut him off.

"Let's just say, an old friend brought it to me," Jane said. "So, are we ready to go home?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon said, placing one hand on the back of Jane's head and the other around Obi-Wan's shoulders. "Let's go home."


	11. Chapter 10: CSI Coruscant

Chapter Ten: CSI Coruscant

Jane and Obi-Wan knew they needed to be somber; after all, they were investigating a possible murder. But they were excited that they were getting a chance to be like the characters on GCIS: Galactic Criminal Investigative Services, their favorite holoshow. Qui-Gon, however, was unimpressed with his Padawans' enthusiasm and more concerned about the mystery that lie before them.

Healthy twenty-eight year old Senator Durane of Alderaan was found dead sitting at her desk and the cause of death was electrocution. Her computer terminal was fried, and forensic experts were searching through the remains for a trigger to have gone off but found nothing. Any trigger that had been there had more than liked been disintegrated when it went off. Also, security footage from that night were completely gone and the curtains had been closed, so no witnesses from the outside could have seen what was going on.

The king of the senator's planet and the other senators were worried that it was possible that she was murdered, given the strange circumstances. So the Jedi were asked to step-in. Chancellor Valorum, having heard praise of the trio—in particular of Jane's skills and genius—asked for them specifically to investigate.

"So, do we get those little cards with numbers on them to put beside evidence for cataloging, then send it to a perky Goth forensic specialist named Amy?" Jane asked as she climbed into the back of the speeder.

"No, the security force should have already done that," Qui-Gon said, starting the engine.

"Do we get to take pictures of evidence like Tommy, Lisa and McGregor?" Obi-Wan asked innocently beside Qui-Gon.

"No," Qui-Gon said, starting to seriously consider restricting his apprentices' holo-viewing hours.

Both Padawans were silent for a moment when Jane softly asked,

"Can you introduce yourself as Special Agent L. J. Tibbs?"

Fortunately they were at a red light, for Qui-Gon pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed and shook his head with a sigh.

"I am getting way too old for this," Qui-Gon muttered as the light turned green. Jane and Obi-Wan decided it was best not to speak for the rest of the trip; it was rare when Qui-Gon was in a bad mood, usually due to stress, and they both knew his limits.

Once they arrived at the Senate Building, they met with Senator's Durane's replacement, Senator Bail Antilles. Senator Antilles was joined by two assistants and a man in his late twenties who was introduced as Bail Organa.

"I personally believe this was a freak accident," Senator Antilles said, looking at all three Jedi after pleasantries and introductions were made and sympathies expressed. "Senator Durane had no enemies. She was loved by all."

"Unfortunately, it is all too often the best in the Galaxy that are cut down before their time," Qui-Gon said, a grim look in his eye Jane had never seen before, yet she knew instantly who he was thinking of. Obi-Wan had told her about Tahl, Qui-Gon's best friend and the only woman he had ever loved who had died about a year before Jane's arrival to the Temple.

Qui-Gon took a deep breath before continuing.

"Obi-Wan and I shall investigate the area, see if we can find or sense anything that was missed in the initial search," He explained to the Senator. "In the meantime, Jane will ask around some questions. Can you think of anyone in particular she should speak with?"

"Not off hand," Senator Antilles said, running a hand over his beard in thought. "Young Organa here can help her. He's been here for nearly a year with Senator Durane. He would have a better idea of whom she should speak with than I would."

"That shall work perfectly," Qui-Gon said, both he and Senator Antilles not noticing the look of shock on Bail's face as his fate was decided for him.

Within minutes, the two groups split up.

"So…." Jane said slowly as she and Bail walked down the halls. "I'm Jane."

"Bail," Her companion responded.

"So you're from Alderaan?" Jane said, trying to make small talk.

"Yes," Bail said. "What about you? Which planet did the Jedi pick you up off of?"

"Corellia, but the Jedi didn't find me. I found them," Jane said proudly.

"I thought there was a separate sect of Corellian Jedi," Bail said, his brow furrowed.

"There is. Long story," Jane said. "So, where are we-"

But she cut herself off and pressed her lips together. Someone had just turned to walk down the hall with them.

"Hello, Senator Palpatine," Bail said.

"Hello, Master Organa," Senator Palpatine, an aging, balding man said in a friendly tone. "Now who is this you've got here?"

"Jane Mago, Jedi Apprentice," Jane said, introducing herself.

"My, my, aren't you a young one?" Senator Palpatine said in a grandfatherly way. He unnerved Jane and made her shiver. She did not like him; darkness seemed to radiate off of him.

When Jane didn't respond, Palpatine turned to Bail.

"I know this is dreadful timing to discuss this, with your recent loss," Palpatine said. "But do you know what Senator Antilles' thoughts are on the bill for creating an armored battle-station to defend Coruscant? The vote is next week, you know."

"He is still going over Senator Durane's notes on the matter," Bail said. "So, no, at this point in time I do not know what his thoughts are."

"Ah," Palpatine said, sounding a bit disappointed. "Well, I would love to continue to chat, but I'm afraid I have a meeting. Good day, Master Organa. Good day, Miss Mago."

As he walked past, Jane felt Palpatine's eyes on her; it was an unpleasant feeling, one she never wished to feel again.

"I think I know who did it," Jane said later that evening back at the apartment in the Temple shared by Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Jane.

"Oh you do, my darling precious flower?" Qui-Gon said as he began to cut some vegetables for their dinner. Jane smiled at Qui-Gon's special name for her.

"Yes," Jane said as she laid napkins on the table. "It's Senator Palpatine of Naboo."

"Why Senator Palpatine? What motive did he have? And how did he kill Senator Durane?" Obi-Wan asked from the stove where he was cooking pasta.

"All the information I gathered today points to his motive," Jane said. "Senator Palpatine proposed to build this huge battle station with lasers that could blow up planets to defend Coruscant, but Senator Durane didn't approve. So he killed her so that he could sway her replacement to vote for his bill. He only needed one more vote for the bill to pass."

"So then how did he kill her?" Qui-Gon asked, tossing the salad he had made.

"He electrocuted her with his Sith lightning powers." Jane said nonchalantly as she laid out the silverware.

Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stopped what they were in the middle of.

"Jainy-bug," Obi-Wan said, calling Jane by his pet name for her. "Hate to break it to you, but Senator Palpatine isn't a Sith. He's not even Force-Sensitive. The Council would know it if it was otherwise."

"You haven't met him, Obi-Wan," Jane said, putting her hands on her hips. "He just feels evil. It's radiating off of him."

"Jane, I am sure Senator Palpatine is a perfectly decent gentleman," Qui-Gon said, placing the bowl of salad on the table. "Besides, can you even place him at the time and place of Senator Durane's death?"

"Well, not yet," Jane said, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. "But I know he did it!"

"Jane, I am not going to hear another word of your argument until you have solid proof, understand?" Qui-Gon said, not sharply. Jane stared at her feet, feeling her cheeks heat, but nodded.

"Yes Master," Jane whispered.

"Alright, then let us eat." Qui-Gon said. Dinner was unusually quiet that night, as Jane didn't have anything to say after that.

"I've got proof, Bail," Jane said proudly as she hopped up to sit on the young man's desk.

"Proof of what, Jane?" Bail asked, looking up briefly from his datapad to look at Jane.

"Proof that Senator Palpatine is a viable suspect," Jane said, pulling out a disk with a grin. "Security let me borrow this."

Jane took a portable holoplayer out of her pocket, put in the disk and placed it in front of Bail, then got down to stand beside his arm before hitting the 'play' button.

Bail watched as an image of Senator Palpatine pacing in his office came into view. He watched several minutes as the senator paced then occasionally went to his desk to write something, then get up to pace again.

"What does this prove, exactly?" Bail asked.

"There's a small data skip every ten minutes. And Senator Secret Sith's doing the same thing in a loop. I took it to a friend at the Temple who analyzes security holos a lot for a second opinion and he confirmed instantly that it is the same footage being played in a loop," Jane said proudly. "This, in addition to when it-"

Jane stopped suddenly and Bail turned to see that she was doubled over, gasping for breath.

"Jane? Jane, what's wrong?" He asked, alarmed, as he knelt down beside her.

"It's not my pain," She whispered.

She tore out of the room, Bail on her heels. She ran down the halls and burst through a door that Bail recognized as the emergency stairwell. Jane raced down several flights of stairs before calling up to Bail with a note of panic in her voice, "Call medics!"

Bail took one look down over the stair-rail at the landing below him, paled and pulled out his comlink.

On the landing below, crumpled, bleeding and unconscious, was Obi-Wan.

* * *

Yep. Cliffie. I'm evil like that.


	12. Chapter 11: Senator Secret Sith Strikes

**As you will see, Obi-Wan wil be completely fine, despite the number I did on him. And I make it up to him (You'll see how *grins impishly*) There's a song that goes with this chapter: Eyes on Fire by Blue Foundation. The # will tell you when to start the song if you want to listen to it while you read.  
**

Chapter Eleven: Senator Secret Sith Lord Strikes Again

Jane knelt down beside Obi-Wan, waiting anxiously for the paramedics to arrive. She knew from previous experience and her books that if she moved Obi-Wan, it could prove more harm than good, especially if he had damaged his neck. So, instead she stroked his hair, trying to soothe him as he gave the occasional moan of pain.

Jane couldn't have been more relieved when the paramedics arrived. Only after she was sure that Obi-Wan was in good hands did she let Bail lead her off. Bail took her to his speeder to the hospital; on the way there, Jane contacted Qui-Gon through the Force to the Jedi Master's relief. Qui-Gon had been panicking because he was unable to get to his Padawans, nor known which apprentice was injured. He told Jane to stay with Bail and that he would meet her at the hospital shortly.

What felt like an eternity later, Bail led Jane up to the reception desk of Coruscant General and asked about Obi-Wan.

"He's still in triage," The receptionist said. "Are you family?"

"I'm his sister in everything but blood," Jane said, having to be held by Bail as she was too short to see over the desk. "And, trust me, I know this drill: no allergies, not on any medications, contact the Healers at the Jedi Temple, they've already got his medical file on standby."

"This happens often?" Bail asked Jane as the receptionist made a note.

"Often enough that the Healers have a betting pool every time we go on a mission over which one of us is going to come back with the worst injuries," Jane said as Bail put her on the ground.

Just as Jane finished giving the receptionist the number for the Halls of Healing, Qui-Gon entered the building, followed by Winna Di Uni—the trio's primary Healer—and Bant Eerin, Obi-Wan's best friend and Winna's apprentice.

Winna and Bant showed their credentials and were allowed back. With a feeling of helplessness, Jane crawled onto Qui-Gon's lap and allowed herself to get buried underneath the Jedi Master's arms. Neither spoke, but they didn't need to in order to comfort each other.

Ten minutes later, Winna came out and pulled up a chair to sit directly across from Qui-Gon and Jane.

"Is Obi-Wan alright?" Jane asked softly.

"He's conscious," Winna said, Jane noting that she skirted around the actual question. "And he wants to see you both before he is sedated. But first I need to prepare you for what you will see.

"His left arm is broken and will need surgery and a cast. He cannot be immersed in bacta at this time because of some of his other injuries. He has a concussion, but fortunately his skull is intact and there appears to be no bleeding or swelling of the brain or damage to his spinal cord-" Jane said a little whisper of a prayer of thanks. "-His right shoulder was dislocated, but it seems that it popped back into place shortly after. His right hip is also dislocated; he will have to be sedated for it to realigned, as it is very painful and, if it doesn't work manually, he'll have to have surgery to get it back into place. Either way, he will have to wear a brace for a month or so, depending on how bad the damage is. He also has a few cracked ribs, a sprained ankle and lots of lacerations and bruises. So far there has been no indication of internal problems."

It took a moment for all this information to comprehend and also—primarily on Jane's part—to swallow back tears.

"Are you going to be alright?" Qui-Gon asked as he set Jane on her feet.

"I think so," Jane said hoarsely as she clutched Qui-Gon's hand. In the two years since she began her training under Qui-Gon, she had seen both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in the medward plenty of times, and had even been in there as a patient just as frequently. But she had never seen either when they were in this bad of a condition.

Winna led Qui-Gon and Jane back to the exam room; they didn't speak and were so quiet, one couldn't have heard even their breathing. Jane quickly swiped her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to control her emotions with the Force. She knew Obi-Wan's heart would break if he saw that she was upset; his heart was the only thing still fully intact, and Jane was determined to keep it that way.

Jane, still clutching Qui-Gon's hand, walked into the room. Machinery and medical devices were everywhere. In the middle of the room was a long padded table with Bant standing next to it, talking with the table's occupant, who was covered with a blanket from the waist down, and was stripped of his tunic.

Just as Winna had warned, Obi-Wan was indeed worse for wear. Bright white bandages covered his head, shoulder and chest. His broken arm was splinted and the other arm had an IV pumping pain meds into his bloodstream. Wires were taped to his chest to monitor his heart beat and breathing, and his blue-gray eyes were glassy and unfocused.

"Hey, Obister," Jane said softly, carefully taking Obi-Wan's good hand, trying to make him at least smile with her nickname for him. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been run-over by a herd of Gundarks," Obi-Wan replied in a hoarse whisper.

"Do you remember any of what happened?" Qui-Gon asked, looking at his oldest apprentice with concern as he brushed some of Obi-Wan's hair out of his face.

"I remember falling," Obi-Wan said, closing his eyes tightly in pain and in frustration. "I don't remember how I came to be falling. Can I please have some pain meds or something?"

"You're on a drip full of medications to lessen the pain right now," Bant said gently. "And you're going to be sedated in a few minutes."

Obi-Wan moaned softly; her heart breaking, Jane gave his hand a little squeeze.

"It's going to be okay," Jane told him. "The pain is only temporary."

"Jane is right," Qui-Gon said. Obi-Wan's glassy eyes looked up at the tall master. "You just need to relax and let the doctors do what they need to do, and to stretch out with the Force for healing."

Obi-Wan nodded vaguely.

"'Kay," He said.

Just then, a nurse stepped up beside them.

"I'm sorry, but I need to sedate him now," She said.

Jane and Qui-Gon nodded.

"Love you, Obister," Jane said, standing on her toes to kiss Obi-Wan's cheek while the nurse administered the sedative.

"Love you too, Jainy-bug," Obi-Wan said, his eyelids slowly lowering as every second passed.

"We're not going to be far," Qui-Gon told him. "If you need anything for either of us, or anything, just reach us with the Force."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said in a whisper. His eyes closed and all the Jedi in the room could tell that he was relaxed now that he was asleep and out of pain.

Qui-Gon brushed his fingers over Obi-Wan's forehead one last time before picking up Jane and setting her on his hip.

The next several hours were very long for Jane and Qui-Gon, full of impatient waiting and praying. They couldn't feel anything from Obi-Wan due to the strong anesthesia, but Bant frequently left the operating room, still in her scrubs, to give the two a progress report every so often. Thankfully, all the news she brought was good: Obi-Wan's dislocated hip did not require surgery to fix, nor did they run into problems with fixing his arm, and no signs of internal issues had shown up, though they still wanted to keep an eye out for any sign of problems and run some scans the following morning.

Jane was only half-awake when Obi-Wan came out of surgery; Bant and Winna offered to take her home and let her sleep in her own bed. Jane tried to refuse, but she fell asleep halfway through giving her reasons for staying; Qui-Gon woke her up briefly so she could say good-night to Obi-Wan, who was still fast asleep.

Upon waking up the next morning, Jane helped Bant pack a bag of Obi-Wan's belongings to take up to the hospital and, after eating breakfast and getting dressed themselves, the two went back to Coruscant General.

They were about to walk into Obi-Wan's room when they heard a very familiar voice.

"Seriously, Kenobi, why are you always doing this to yourself? Do you want me to have gray hair before I'm twenty? Thank the Force I'm blond and can hide it easily. From you especially."

"Is that Siri Tachi?" Jane asked in a whisper, her hazel eyes wide.

Bant nodded. The two carefully peeked around the corner and, lo and behold, there was the Temple's fierce blond fighting machine, Siri Tachi. She was sitting beside Obi-Wan on the bed, his good hand wrapped in one of hers resting on her leg; he was still asleep and Jane picked up from the Force that he wasn't going to wake up any time soon.

"I'm really glad they didn't have to cut you open," Siri said as she gently ran a finger over Obi-Wan's abs. Jane briefly wondered if the blanket had been originally folded at Obi-Wan's waist or if it had been moved. "I'd have hated it if the medics had to damage this washboard tummy of yours. Oh, gosh, I've been wanting to do this for so long," She smiled as she continued to run her fingers over Obi-Wan's bare chest, her finger going over each individual muscle that was put there by hard-work and determination. "Do you know how long I've been pining to snuggle up against you? Or that I get jealous of Jane when I see you holding her in these wonderful toned arms of yours? Yeah. Siri Tachi, envious of a five year old! How pathetic can I get?"

Jane and Bant had both hands over their mouths to contain their giggles, though Jane did feel guilty when Siri admitted her jealousy. She knew Siri liked Obi-Wan (and that Obi-Wan liked Siri) but she didn't know that Siri felt this strongly about him.

"I always have this dream where due to strange circumstances, I'm about to almost drown in the lake, ocean, river, whatever, but it's always okay because you rescue me. Bare chested. Then you give me mouth-to-mouth. Then it's always ruined by Master Yoda in a pink feathered tutu, or something similar before it gets really good," Siri sighed, twirling Obi-Wan's Padawan braid around her finger. "Oh, Force, I am so glad you're not awake and there is no one around to hear me ramble.

Quietly, Jane and Bant crept out of the room and back down the hall. Then, trying to act casual and to wipe the guilty grins off their faces, they walked back into the room.

"Siri!" Jane said, acting pleasantly surprised. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Oh, I, uh," Siri said, leaping to her feet, her pale cheeks red. "Just came to see what mess Kenobi's gotten himself into now."

"Admit it, you were worried about him," Bant said, a coy smile on her face.

"Okay, so maybe I was, just a little bit," Siri said defensively. "A friend can't be concerned about a friend?"

"Where's Qui-Gon?" Jane asked as she sat in the chair beside Obi-Wan's bed.

"He and Winna left about half an hour ago to get some breakfast," Siri said. "I had arrived a few minutes before and Master Qui-Gon wanted someone to keep an eye on him. Though I doubt he's going to make a run for it any time soon."

"Don't doubt me," Obi-Wan grumbled as his eyes fluttered open.

"Morning sleeping beauty," Jane teased. "Have a nice nap?"

"Yeah, but that's nothing compared to knowing the fact that I just woke up with the three prettiest girls in the Temple surrounding my sickbed." Obi-Wan said with a grin that was without a doubt painkiller induced.

Bant shook her head.

"What the heck are they giving you, Obi-Wan?" Bant asked.

"I dunno," Obi-Wan admitted. "Whatever it is, makes me feel good. So it must be okay."

"Not necessarily," Bant said as she examined the drip bags. "Jane, do me a favor and go tell the nurse he's amongst the living again."

Jane nodded and disappeared for a minute, bringing a nurse in tow upon her return.

"You sure have been through the mill," The nurse said as she took Obi-Wan's vitals.

"No. I just fell down some stairs," Obi-Wan said in a would-be proud voice.

The four females laughed at him, though in his drug-induced state, he had no idea what was so funny.

"The doctor will be here in about a half hour to examine him," The nurse told Obi-Wan's companions.

About ten minutes later, Qui-Gon and Winna arrived, happy to see Obi-Wan awake and not too long after that the doctor entered and gave Obi-Wan a quick examination.

"Everything looks good, the concussion doesn't seem to be a problem," The doctor said. "But I want to run some scans just to make sure there are no internal problems, because, considering the trauma his body underwent, I don't want to overlook anything, though at this point I doubt we'll find any major problems. If there is anything small—like a tear—that we find, we can easily fix it with minimally invasive surgery."

"Good," Jane said, not trying to hide her smirk. "We'd hate for there to be a lot of damage to that washboard tummy of his."

Bant doubled over, trying to control her laughter, while Siri went red-faced again. The doctor, Qui-Gon and Winna simply looked at Jane with confusion. And Obi-Wan, well, Obi-Wan found a loose thread on the blanket right beside his good hand and was now so engrossed with playing with it, he hadn't heard a word in the past two minutes.

"How much did you two hear?" Siri hissed at Jane a moment later when the doctor left to call the radiology unit.

"Enough for blackmailing purposes," Jane responded, still smirking.

"Look, Short-Stuff," Siri said. "I don't want Obi-Wan to know anything of what I said. Make sure Bant gets that message to, got it?"

"Got it," Jane said.

"Good," Siri said. After ruffling Jane's hair, she went over and said good-bye to Obi-Wan, as she had to get to a class at the Temple, and promised she'd be by later. Shortly after Siri left, it was clear that the happy side-effects of the medicines were wearing off and Obi-Wan was starting to get moody, particularly when the nurse brought him a bottle of murky white liquid and instructions to drink it all.

"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked as the nurse opened the bottle. "It doesn't look too good."

"Without getting to technical, it's a dye," The nurse responded. "You drink it so that the technicians can read your scans after it's done."

Jane noticed that the nurse skillfully dodged the part of Obi-Wan's question of the taste. Obi-Wan noticed that too after he took a sip. He wrinkled his nose and shoved the bottle away.

"You need to drink that, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, trying to bring the bottle back into Obi-Wan's hand.

"Don't wanna," Obi-Wan grumbled, trying to turn his head away from Qui-Gon. "Tastes awful."

"That doesn't matter," Qui-Gon said, trying to be patient with Obi-Wan.

"Is it alright if I have a sip?" Jane asked, looking at Winna, who nodded.

Jane took the bottle from a very confused Qui-Gon and took a sip and smiled.

"Umm," Jane said, closing her eyes wistfully. "It tastes like the chocolate Bantha-milkshakes we get at Didi's diner after a mission."

"What?" Obi-Wan said, his brow furrowed. "Let me taste."

Jane handed Obi-Wan the bottle and, carefully due to his injured shoulder, he raised the bottle to his lips again.

"You're right, it does," Obi-Wan said, a smile on his face.

Less than a half-hour later, Jane was sitting smugly in the radiology wing's waiting room chair.

"So…" Qui-Gon said from beside her. "Did it really taste like a chocolate Bantha-milkshake?"

"No, it was disgusting," Jane said, wrinkling her nose at the taste that lingered on her tongue. "Tastes like someone took an industrial grade box of chalk, pounded it to a fine powder—cardboard and all—then put polluted lake water into it."

"Wait, then why did Obi-Wan say it did taste like a chocolate Bantha-milkshake?" Bant asked.

"Well, once his mind was open to the idea, I kinda went in with the Force and, uh, may have played around with his taste buds and the part of his brain that acknowledges good tastes and bad tastes, and tricked him into thinking it was a good taste," Jane said sheepishly.

"Cool," Bant said, trying to figure out Jane's technique in her head.

Qui-Gon shook his head.

"Jane," Qui-Gon said. "Before all this happened, you called me. Said you had found some important evidence?

"That I did," Jane said, remembering her great find of the day before. "Bail's keeping it safe in his office for me. It proves my theories are right."

Qui-Gon frowned slightly; he hoped for both their sakes that she was right about this.

Three days later, Obi-Wan was released from the hospital. The doctors found nothing wrong on the scans, none of his cuts were infected, and his concussion had cleared up. His leg was still in brace, his arm in a cast, his ribs taped up and he had a few mobility problems with the arm of his dislocated shoulder, but was told with rest, a good attitude, staying on his medications and a bit of physical therapy he would be fine in a few weeks.

Jane was very overprotective of Obi-Wan for the next few days as he sat in his favorite recliner in the living room. She made sure he had everything he needed and even slept on the couch at night, just in case, though after three nights of this, Obi-Wan asked Qui-Gon to carry the little girl to her own bed.

A week after Obi-Wan was home, Jane and Qui-Gon had to go back to the Senate building to give their reports on Senator Durane's death. Both were apprehensive about leaving Obi-Wan, so they asked Bant, Siri and Obi-Wan's friend Reeft to "Obi-Sit" as Jane called it to Obi-Wan's annoyance.

Jane stood in her best robes, carefully shuffling her papers stating who she suspected and why as Qui-Gon instructed Bant, Siri and Reeft which medicines to give Obi-Wan and when, and other information they might need to know.

"You alright, Jainy-bug?" Obi-Wan asked, looking up at Jane over his datapad.

"Nervous," Jane admitted. "I've never taken down a corrupt Sith politician before."

Obi-Wan frowned.

"So you still suspect Senator Palpatine?" He asked.

"Yeah," Jane said, sitting down on the coffee table. "You still don't believe me, do you?"

"Jane," Obi-Wan said in a sigh, then he beckoned Jane closer. "You could be right," He whispered in her ear. "There is something Dark in the Senate Building. I felt something dark right before I fell."

"Fell or was pushed?" Jane asked. Obi-Wan shook his head.

"I don't remember," Obi-Wan said. "I just remember hitting something hard then waking up in the hospital. Just be careful, alright? I don't want you to get hurt too."

"Alright," Jane said, kissing Obi-Wan's cheek. "I'll be careful. I promise."

"Good," Obi-Wan said. "Well, I've done my big brotherly duty of the day. Good luck."

"Thanks," Jane said.

Half an hour later, Jane led Qui-Gon down the halls towards Bail's office. The young man looked up at Jane and smiled.

"How's Obi-Wan doing?" He asked.

"Much better than he was a few days ago," Jane said. "Can I have the disk? I want to show it to Qui-Gon before the meeting."

"Here you go," Bail said, unlocking his desk and taking out the disk. "It's been locked in here since the day you brought it to me."

Jane explained to Qui-Gon how she acquired the tape and how she carefully studied it as she put the disk into the player. Then her face fell.

"The disk is blank," She whispered, turning to Bail, who was just as confused.

"But I checked it before I locked it away," Bail said, scratching his beard in dismay.

Jane felt like crying; all her hard work, her evidence, gone thanks to a blank holodisk.

Qui-Gon sensed her disappointment and laid a hand on her shoulder. Though he did not support her theory, he knew she worked hard and was confident in herself and her evidence. The past few nights he had stayed awake wondering if she was right; but now they'd never know, never have a chance to prove it.

Jane sat quietly throughout the meeting, listening as Qui-Gon explained that Senator Durane's death was an unfortunate freak accident. She left as soon as the meeting adjourned, not wanting to be seen as her eyes filled with tears.

#

She ran down a deserted hallway, trying to calm herself, wanting to just go home… when she ran straight into Senator Palpatine.

"I'm sorry," Jane apologized, her cheeks red. He was the last person she wanted to see right now. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No need to apologize, young one," Senator Palpatine said kindly. He studied Jane. Suddenly, Jane cringed; she felt herself being probed through the Force and quickly blocked the other Force-sensitive. "My, my. You are quite powerful. Smart, pretty," Palpatine said, gently fingering Jane's hair. Jane drew away from him.

"You could have it all, you know," Palpatine whispered after a second. "The Jedi under your control, the Galaxy at your beck and call, every citizen who sees you fall on bended knee."

"I don't want power," Jane snapped.

"You're denying yourself your destiny, child," Palpatine said. "You could be stronger than any other Force-user in the Galaxy. You could rule. You could change the Galaxy. Run it the way you want it. I can help you."

"I don't want your help!" Jane said bitterly. "And I know you did it. You killed Senator Durane because she wouldn't vote for your planetary defender. And when I found the evidence, you pushed Obi-Wan down the stairs and set the holodisk to erase itself the next time it was played."

"Sadly, all wastes of my time and effort," Palpatine said bitterly. "The bill wasn't passed."

"Good." Jane said. They stared at each other for a long time.

"Give into your anger," Palpatine said. "You are angry I hurt your friend. Take revenge for him, hurt me. Let me know the pain he went through."

"I won't fall that easily," Jane spat. "I'm getting stronger every day, strong to face all the Siths of the Galaxy like you."

And with that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

"Your father would have been brave enough to accept a challenge from me." Palpatine said to her back.

Jane paused in mid-stride. Swallowing her pride—and her hatred for her father—she continued to walk.

When she got home, she spoke to no one. She just went straight to her room and laid on her bed and cried. Sometime later, she had cried herself dry and she carefully crept out of her room for a drink of water, sensing that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had already gone to bed.

She was almost back to her room when she heard, "Jainy-bug?"

She winced and turned to see Obi-Wan, awake, looking at her.

"You alright?" He asked.

"No. Not really," Jane admitted, her throat aching as she swallowed back a new set of tears.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Obi-Wan offered. Jane shook her head. "Do you want a hug?" Jane nodded. "Come here, kiddo." Obi-Wan said, offering his arms for her.

Jane hugged him tightly but carefully and instantly felt much better.

"Do you want to sleep out here with me?" Obi-Wan asked. Jane nodded. Carefully, she laid against Obi-Wan's right side, his arm wrapped around her, his hand gently rubbing her shoulder.

"Love you, Obister," Jane whispered.

"Love you too, Jainy-bug," Obi-Wan said, kissing her head.

Wrapped up in each other's arms, Jane and Obi-Wan both had the best sleep they'd had in days.

Meanwhile, not too far away, Senator Palpatine was looking out his window, scowling.

So. The Jedi's pet prodigy won't turn as easily as her father. She had a lot of self-restraint…

"No matter," Palpatine said to himself. "She will either turn, or she will die. If she won't turn, the boy will, then I will make sure she will die. But not before I break her entirely."

That thought in mind, Palpatine walked back to his desk to work on his report as his aides walked in. No one would be the wiser of his evil plots.


	13. Chapter 12: Greensleeves and Nerfherders

**AN: Wow. Can't believe I'm already half-way through with this. I'm rather proud. Anyways, this is probably one of my favorite chapters and introduces another OC that will be important in the sequels.**

Chapter Twelve: Greensleeves and Scruffy-Looking Nerfherders

Six year old Jane walked proudly amongst the many booths of the hotel's convention center with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. This was her first time on Corellia since the beginning of her apprenticeship, and she was happy to be home.

She carefully brushed a piece of non-existent lint off of the green sleeves of her robe. After a lot of begging, pleading, skillful negotiating, and a good dose of puppy-dog eyes, the Council had given in and let Jane wear the Corellian green. However, the deal was that only the sleeves of her robe could be green; the rest of the body had to remain the original brown. Jane did not mind; the two colors worked well together and it made her stand out of the crowd.

After Qui-Gon found the booth he was looking for, he gave Obi-Wan and Jane permission to walk around by themselves.

"Just don't leave this floor," He said. Both nodded.

Jane soon found the over-crowded room to be stuffy and overwhelming and stepped outside. Having arrived at the hotel only an hour beforehand, Jane hadn't had enough time to explore. Keeping Qui-Gon's words in mind, she began to explore the other rooms on the floor.

She found a small 5-star restaurant, the ballroom, and—to her utter delight—a room full of musical instruments. Jane loved playing music as much as she loved listening to it, though she rarely had time for it. Taking advantage of this free time, Jane settled herself down on the bench of a large instrument covered with long ivory buttons called 'keys' and began to play.

She was in the middle of the melody of one of her favorite songs when she heard an irritated voice from behind her.

"Hey! Get away from my piano!"

Jane turned to see a boy not too much older than her with messy brown hair and blue eyes scowling at her.

"I didn't know this was yours," Jane responded.

"This is my practice room," The boy said angrily. "And I ask that you please be careful, Little Miss Greensleeves. Many of these instruments are very delicate."

"Sorry," Jane said, standing up. She was already starting to dislike the boy, but it was instantly hate when he called her 'Greensleeves'. No one insulted her Corellian green.

The boy eyed her.

"What was that song you were playing, if you could call what you were doing that?" He asked.

Jane felt herself fill up with anger, and with a bit of bitterness, told him what the song was, a rock song by a favorite band of hers.

"Not a classic, then?" The boy said, an eyebrow raised and his nose wrinkled.

"Could be one day," Jane pointed out. "However, in regards to my playing skills, I may not be a concert pianist, but I'd like to see you do better."

The boy sat down on the bench, closed his eyes… and then proved Jane wrong. He played a long, complicated piece that Jane knew instantly within the first notes. Jane felt a bit of jealousy arise in her; how was this boy so good? He couldn't have been more than eight years old.

When he finished dramatically, the boy gave her a crooked grin and held out his hand.

"Jace Solo, musical prodigy and concert pianist."

Feeling a need to protect her ego, Jane responded: "Jane Mago, child genius and youngest Jedi Apprentice in history."

"Explains your ridiculous get-up," Jace threw back. "What exactly are you? A Temple Jedi or a Corellian?"

"Corellian, and proud of it, thank you very much," Jane said coldly. "So, what exactly are you doing here?"

"My father's business has a booth at the trade convention," Jace said. "You?"

"I'm here with my Master and fellow Padawan to meet with a business executive," Jane said proudly. "About important, top secret matters. In fact, my Master is calling me right now, through the Force. So if you'll excuse me."

This was a lie, but Jane really wanted to leave with most of her dignity intact. She reentered the convention hall and found Obi-Wan.

"Back so soon?" He asked, an eyebrow raised. "I expected that you would have made a new friend by now."

"I made something, but I don't think it was a friend," Jane said, not meeting Obi-Wan's eyes. Obi-Wan decided not to press and rub her head lovingly.

"Ah, there you two are," Qui-Gon said, noticing his apprentices as they approached, laughing about something. "I have someone I want you to meet."

He brought the two Padawans over and beckoned over a tall man with graying dark brown hair and twinkling blue eyes.

"Denn, these are my apprentices, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jane Mago," Qui-Gon said, a hand on each Padawan's shoulders. "Obi-Wan, Jane, this is my friend, Denn Solo."

Both apprentices bowed and said 'Nice to meet you'. Denn smiled at both of them.

"Your Master here has been talking my ear off about you two," Denn said. "And I have someone to introduce you all to as well, except I don't know where he-ah! There he is! Jacen! Come here, son!"

Jane barely had a chance to look over her shoulder when she heard a voice say, "Yes, Dad? What is it?"

Jane felt her frustration rise again, but refused to let it show as the boy stepped in front of Denn.

"Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Jane, this is my son, Jacen," Denn said, ruffling the boys hair affectionately.

"Please, call me Jace," Jace said, trying to get his father's hand off his head, that infuriating lopsided grin back on his face. Then he noticed Jane and the grin dropped. "I guess we meet again."

"Oh, you two have already met?" Qui-Gon said.

"You could say that," Jane and Jace said at the same time. They glared at each other when they realized that they spoke simultaneously.

"Well, that's good," Denn said, obviously not seeing the glares. "You two will be spending a lot of time together over the next few days."

_Joy,_ Jane thought bitterly.

And it only got worse from there.

"I don't like him," Jane said that evening, running a brush through her hair as the three Jedi prepared to leave for the party they were going to attend that night. "He's an arrogant jerk."

"Jane," Qui-Gon said warningly. "I'm not saying you have to be best friends with Jace, you just need to be nice to him."

"I'll do my best, but know that he feels the same way about me," Jane said, fixing a ribbon in her hair. "It's for the best, I believe."

"And why do you say that?" Obi-Wan asked, pulling his boots on.

Jane turned to him with a smart-aleck grin.

"Because if he liked me, that would mean I'd actually have to have a conversation with him."

Jane was enjoying herself at the party, which was taking place in the ballroom she found earlier. She had skillfully managed to avoid Jace most of the time with a few awkward words spoken here and there; his tone implied that he had been given the same warning Jane had. She didn't care, though.

However, that didn't last long.

She was browsing the food table when she noticed a wizened old man with shaking hands. The man's plate tipped over, what little food was on it toppling to the floor. He tried to bend down to pick up the spilled food, but Jane was there before he could. The man kept whispering apologies, embarrassed.

"It's fine, sir, no problem," She said. She was about to stand up when she heard a familiar voice.

"-and it's always like she's got something to prove. She's not even that pretty, you know. And her taste in music is horrendous."

A whiny girl's voice complaining about something responded to Jace and Jane rose to her feet after hearing the pair step away.

"Nerfherder," She whispered. "That complete, utter, scuffy-looking nerfherder!"

The old man, who apparently was going deaf, frowned at her and said, "What did you say?"

"Never mind," Jane said. _He'll just pay for that comment later._

And to her pleasure, that moment came not an hour later. Jane and Jace joined a discussion with Qui-Gon and Denn about music, as the two men had been complimenting the party's musicians when both children were seeking their respective guardians. Jane discovered that Denn was as passionate about music as his son was. And, as she already suspected, she discovered Jace was a bit of a music snob; he believed that classical music was the best, and everything else was just plain wrong. His father disagreed.

"They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Denn said. "Music is the same way. Whatever type of music it is, as long as you feel it, is beautiful."

"Exactly," Jane said, a grin on her face. She turned to look at Jace briefly, batting her eyelashs innocently. "The taste of music of one might speak to their soul, but will be horrendous to the ears of another."

She had the immense pleasure of watching Jace's face turn white, then red as he realized her choice of words. Jane promptly excused herself and walked away, smirking.

"Jace has a hard time making friends," Denn explained to Qui-Gon after Jace stalked away, looking flustered. "He's always traveling, always surrounded by the same people. Gets his schoolwork done quickly, then locks himself in his music room. Won't play anything other than music; what kind of eight year old does that?"

"Are there not children of your colleagues on board?" Qui-Gon asked concernedly.

"The only child his age on the ship is the daughter of one of my colleagues, and Jace tries to avoid her at all cost. Personally, I don't blame him. The girl's a nightmare. Other than that, he has one friend here on Corellia, the son of my best friend growing up. And he and his cousin, my sister's daughter, are really close. But my sister and brother-in-law's work doesn't allow them to visit often. I feel like I'm failing Jace as a father."

"I know what you mean. Jane's situation is similar," Qui-Gon said with a sigh. "She, Obi-Wan and I are frequently on missions, added to the fact that she is on a different level intellectually than other children her age, she just can't make friends her own age. She prefers to be with Obi-Wan and his group of friends than make her own set. When I ask her why, she just shrugs and says it's easier for her; doesn't have to pretend to be something she's not."

"I really hoped they would hit it off," Denn said, staring down at his drink in thought. "Eh. Who knows with kids? Maybe one day they'll be friends."


	14. Chapter 13: Pride and Jediness

Chapter Thirteen: Pride and Jedi-ness

On the morning of the second day of the Trade Conference, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were to meet in private with Denn and his business partners. The meeting was not for little ears, apparently, and so Jane, Jace and Asana Jaan—the seven-year-old daughter of one of Denn's partners—were staying in the suite Denn had gotten for the duration of the conference.

Jane sat on the floor in front of the window, her legs crossed and her eyes closed, breathing deeply, trying to meditate. It was hard to do with Asana sitting beside her, talking non-stop about fashion, gossip, and handsome holo-stars.

"Is Raylor Cometdust hot or what?" Asana asked as she looked longingly at a teen gossip magazine, that happened to have a fold-out poster of said actor. "I would _love_ to be Krisly Cyert, getting to kiss him every single day, for every single take! _Coruscant Sunset_ is the best holo-vid in the entire galaxy, isn't it Jane?"

"I wouldn't know," Jane said irritably, pinching her thumbs against her forefingers hard and trying to keep a scowl off her face. "I haven't seen that movie."

"But you must have. Isn't it, like, a Jedi training video? I mean, Bellana is a Jedi Knight in love with the amazingly handsome half-vampire, half-werewolf hybrid Jared who just wanted to become a Jedi, but didn't believe he had a soul so he'd have to become a Sith Lord and how she had to help him overcome that so that they could get married. How can you not watch that? It's so educational about real life!"

"Must have been sick the day they showed that in class," Jane said sardonically.

That movie had been the laughing stock of the entire Temple. Some of the older apprentices had gone to see it and told everyone about it and everyone had been mocking the actors' lines and more than once had people jokingly tried to get out of assignments by claiming that they were soulless, Dark-Side bound vampire-werewolves.

"You were lucky, then, as it was a waste of credits to see the movie, and an even bigger waste to make it," Jace said from his armchair, where he was typing on a datapad.

"Who are you writing to, Jace?" Asana asked, getting up to read over Jace's shoulder. To Jane's relief, she had finally taken the hint that Jane was not interested in her latest obsession like the rest of her friends.

"My cousin, Maria," Jace said, trying to push Asana's curls out of his face.

"Oh, the one living on Endor! Oh, _do_ please tell her that I send her my love!"

"I already have," Jace said in a bored drawl.

"Poor, poor Maria," Asana said, clicking her tongue. "Living on Endor with no shopping malls or salons at all! What do her parents do again?"

"My uncle studies botany and my aunt studies zoology."

"Oh, Jace, we _must_ go visit Maria!" Asana said, taking Jace's free hand. "She must be _so_ bored on that jungle moon."

"Forest," Jane corrected from her meditating pose.

"What?" Asana asked, one of her perfect eyebrow raised as she turned to look at Jane, giving Jace an opportunity to free his hand from Asana's grip.

Jane turned from her pose to look at Asana.

"Endor is a forest moon, not a jungle," Jane explained.

"I knew that," Asana said haughtily, tossing back her onyx curls. "I just wanted to see if you were listening."

"And Maria is not lonely," Jace said. "In her last letter, she was telling me about all the fun she has with the children of the other scientists and the locals. The inhabitants of Endor are primarily little bear-like creatures called Ewoks."

"Oh, they sound delightful!" Asana said. She plopped herself down at Jace's feet and attempted to start more conversations with him, but he ignored her. Refusing to be ignored, she turned to Jane.

"Jane, please do let me brush your hair." Asana asked. Jane opened one hazel eye.

"Uh, alright," Jane said, hoping it would keep Asana quiet.

It didn't.

"I don't know if Jace has told you this or not, but we're going to be married!" Asana said as she ran a brush through Jane's long hair.

"No, we're not," Jace said, but didn't look up from his datapad.

"Well, it's not official yet, but it's been agreed on for years! Since we were little, my mommy always said, 'oh, look at how cute Asana and Jace are together! I just know that they will fall in love and get married and give me beautiful grandchildren one day!' My mommy is never wrong about love. You know she predicted Princess Tali of Kuat marrying Duke Mason of Hapes?"

"Did she predict their divorce eight months later?" Jace asked sarcastically.

Asana ignored him.

"Jane, who styles your hair at the Temple?" Asana asked.

"I do. Or I have Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon help me," Jane responded. "Why?"

"What do you usually have done with it?" Asana asked, trying brush the hair around Jane's Padawan braid.

"A ponytail and Padawan braid, although I'll do a single braid for special occasions," Jane replied, now worried. "Again, why?"

"Because I'm going to style your hair!" Asana cried. "Oh, we'll do some braids here, some ribbons there, curls here and there, maybe some glitter. Oh, this will be so much fun, won't it? I'll go get my things!"

And with that, Asana ran out of the room, leaving a horrified Jane sitting stunned on the floor.

"Come on."

Jane looked up to see that Jace had come around to stand beside her and held out his hand.

"Where are we going?" Jane asked, taking Jace's hand.

"We'll go for a walk around the nearby park."

"What about Asana?"

"Look, Asana doing someone's hair is something I wouldn't wish on the most evil Sith Lord in the history of the galaxy."

"But won't she notice that we're gone?"

"Yeah, she will. Then she'll find a new play-slave."

"I feel bad for whoever that is."

"Would you rather stay here?"

Before Jane could respond, Asana opened the door looking—if possible—even more excited than a few minutes before.

"Jane! I found a do-it-yourself perm kit! With it, I can make you look like a holo-vid star! I'll go get it!"

And she ran off, not noticing Jane's white face.

"Yeah, let's go," Jane said quickly.

Jace grinned and they were off.

"So Naboo's senator is a Sith Lord?" Jace said, in shock.

"Yeah. But he destroyed all my evidence, so it's my word against his. Despite my IQ, people are more willing to believe the respected senator over the little kid," Jane said with a sigh. "Besides, it's a done deal, case closed. Without my evidence, we had to say that it was a freak accident. I don't think he would have told me he did it had he not known that we'd already given our analysis on the case."

"That stinks, that really stinks," Jace said, kicking a rock in anger.

Jane tilted her head to look at Jace sideways.

"You know, you're the first person who's ever believed me right away," Jane said.

Jace shrugged.

"Dude always freaked me out," Jace said.

They continued to walk, chatting about different things. At first the conversation had started out awkward, but then they both started to relax.

"So," Jane said. "Any idea about what your dad and my master are talking about in their secret meeting?"

"Wish I knew," Jace said. "But I think my dad is sharing his concerns about the Trade Federation."

"What about them?" Jane asked. Two years before, the Trade Federation was on the verge of causing a civil war. Then, a year later, they just stopped communication. Six months later, they were active again, and more determined to get what they wanted. They had started blockading planets so that no trade was imported or exported. Many Jedi and diplomats had been dispatched, and every time the Trade Federation stated that the blockade was misinterpreted, or a mistake and apologized profusely.

"I think Dad thinks that they are building an army of some sort," Jace said.

"Why would the Trade Federation want an army?" Jane asked, her brow furrowing.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Jace said as they walked on top of a hill. He looked down at the valley of the hill, where loud voices were being projected. "Hey, look," He said with a grin. Jane looked down at the pavilion, where actors in costumes were performing. It appeared to be a duel.

"_The Thorn of the Rose_," Jace said, listening to a spoken line and recognizing it. "One of the best Corellian romantic tragedies ever written."

Jane paled; she knew that, and she also knew the name of the main character's love interest.

"Yeah, that's great," Jane said. "Hey, look, let's-"

But it too late. One character was lying on the ground, apparently wounded.

"Jaina, Jaina my rose, where art thou?" The actor called. A pretty young woman in a flowing dress knelt down beside him, professing her love for him and fretting over his wounds as he died dramatically onstage.

"Let's go," Jane said, her eyes wide. She flinched as the young woman's name was said, and, though she tried to hide it, Jace noticed.

"Jane, what's wrong? Why did you freak out when the character's name was said?" He asked.

"Just… just leave it, okay?" Jane said, tugging on Jace's hand.

"Why would you freak out at the name 'Jaina', unless…." Jace said, his eyes widening. "Your name isn't really 'Jane' is it?"

Jane's blood heated with anger. In frustration, she shoved Jace.

"Shut up Jacen Solo!" She screamed at him.

His own frustration rising, Jace shoved her back.

"Don't shove me Jaina Mago!" He yelled back.

One look at her horrified expression gave Jace the sickening realization that he was right.


	15. Chapter 14: Friends and Allies

**There's a song that goes with this chapter. A piano instrumental of Greensleeves (or What Child is This?). The version I use is 'What Child is This arr. Melody Bober' (and it can be found on Youtube). This symbol # will tell you when to play it.**

Chapter Fourteen: Friends and Allies

Jane stared at Jace with wide eyes, mentally kicking herself. Jace had figured out her real name. How had she let that happen?

Jace took a deep breath and studied her face for a second.

"So… so Jaina is your real name?" He asked in a whisper.

Jane nodded.

"My full name, my _real_ full name, is Jaina Marie Mago," Jane said, suddenly very interested with her shoes.

"Does anyone know besides me?" Jace asked.

"Now? No. The only two other people are dead. And I'm not counting anyone who has seen my birth certificate, because they don't really care," Jane said.

"Why do you go by Jane?" Jace asked.

"It's a long story," Jane said with a sigh.

"I've got time," Jace said. He gave her a lopsided grin. "Any excuse to not go back to Asana."

Jane thought for a moment, before indicating that he should follow her.

"I'll tell you, but you've got to promise to never tell anyone, not your dad or your friends or Obi-Wan and especially not Qui-Gon." Jane said as they continued to walk down the path.

"I promise I won't tell," Jace said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I'll swear to it on anything you want."

"No, I'll trust your word," Jane said, sitting down on a bench. Jace sat down beside her, waiting anxiously for her story.

"It started when my mom died," Jane said, her eyes staring off into space. "I had just turned three at the time. My mom had ordained who she wanted to take care of me after she was dead, did the paperwork and everything. But I had been taken in as a ward of the state regardless. They didn't listen to me when I told them I was a Jedi, but that the man who my mom wanted to train me was on Coruscant.

"Well, being the rash, impulsive genius I am, I ran away, planning on hitch-hiking to Coruscant. Unfortunately, my disappearance was noticed quickly. I had to go back to the house my mother had lived in to get the paperwork to bring to Qui-Gon, so by the time I had gotten to the spaceport, a 'Missing Child' poster with my name and face on it was everywhere. I used a blanket I had brought with me to wrap my hair and asked a trader heading to Coruscant if I could ride with him, he under the impression that I was a Gamgee from Meedle Oorth. Worried that the Jedi would recognize my name if I told them the truth, I shortened my name to Jane, as that is a Galaxy-wide common name. I kept Mago because that was also common here on Corellia. Qui-Gon and the Council are under the impression I was brought to the Temple by a social worker, when in truth it was just a lady I asked for directions in finding the Temple.

"So, that's basically my tragic backstory," Jane said, leaning back and staring at the small waterfowl swimming in the pond across from them.

"So why not tell your Master?" Jace asked.

"Because then I'd feel obliged to tell him another one of my secrets, one I'd prefer to never, ever tell," Jane said, crossing her arms.

"Why's that?"

Jane glared at Jace briefly.

"It has to do with my father."

Sensing a delicate subject, Jace didn't ask any more.

"I have a twin, you know," Jace said, looking at his hands in his lap. "A twin sister. And I don't even know what she looks like, what her name is or if she's even alive."

Jane shifted her gaze towards him again.

"Dad and Mom were living in this small town on the less occupied side of Corellia," Jace said. "Their town got attacked the same night me and my sister were born. Mom took my sister and Dad took me and they went in different directions to protect us. Dad searched for my mom and sister, but couldn't find them. He tried to talk to her father, my grandfather, but he wouldn't answer any of Dad's calls. He doesn't even let Dad onto the property and he stays locked up in his house.

"So everyone talks about my mom and sister as if they are dead. Except my Aunt Lizzie, my cousin Maria's mom. She and my mom had been best friends, and she's my Dad's twin. She and my uncle helped Dad recover and they even raised me for a year—with their own kid on the way, I may add—when my Dad was going through his depression. Uncle Louis even helped Dad run his business. Aunt Lizzie's the only reason why I know I have a twin."

Jace grinned up at Jane.

"So, _Jane_, now that we've both shared our tragic back-stories, does this mean we're friends?" He asked.

"I don't know what else that could possibly mean," Jane said, cracking a smile.

Jane entered the room hearing the sound of a piano and wasn't surprised to find Jace sitting in front of it, his fingers flying over the ivory keys, occasionally stopping as he wrote something down on a piece of sheet music.

"What'cha doin'?" Jane asked, sitting beside him.

"Writing you a song," Jace said, playing a chord then wrinkling his nose. Apparently, it didn't sound good for the song.

"What's it called?" Jane asked

"Greensleeves," Jace said with that lopsided grin of his that Jane had come to realize rarely meant anything good.

"Ha ha," Jane said, smiling herself as she moved aside the green sleeves of her robe.

"The words have been around for a while, I'm just giving it a new sound," Jace said, configuring his fingers to make another chord. This one was satisfactory and he grinned and wrote it down.

"How does it go?" Jane asked.

"Like this," Jace said. # He started to play, the music starting off decently loud before becoming soft, _"Alas my love, you do me wrong to cast me off discourteously. For I have loved you well and long, delighting in your company. Greensleeves was all my joy, Greensleeves was all my delight. Greensleeves was my heart of gold and who but my Lady Greensleeves?"_

Jane listened with delight and a broad grin and, when the chorus piece came again, she sang it with him.

The two were so engrossed with the music, they didn't know that Qui-Gon and Denn were standing in the doorway, listening and watching.

"I've never seen this side of Jace before," Denn said in awe. "What of the few friends he has, he didn't warm up to any of them as fast as he has to your Jane."

"Every day, Jane is a cause for worry for me," Qui-Gon admitted. "She is so friendly and sweet, loving and kind, and has a fiery spirit. But her genius and advanced status makes her an outcast amongst the students of her own age. While she has many friends throughout the Temple, none are even close to her own age. Jane and Jace are good for each other, I believe."

"We can't separate them so that they never see each other again," Denn said.

"Perhaps we should encourage them to write frequently, and you and I should stay in contact," Qui-Gon said. "If we are near enough to each other in our travels, then we should get them together."

"I think that's marvelous, Qui-Gon," Denn said. He chuckled. "And to think just yesterday morning, they couldn't stand the sight of one another…"

* * *

**AN: Jane will still go by Jane until Qui-Gon learns of her real name (and by the end of the story, he will) and then it will change to 'Jaina'.**


	16. Chapter 15: Corellians Know How to Party

**Another song with the chapter! Do You Believe in Magic? by Aly and AJ. # will tell you when to start playing it. Plus, you'll get to meet some more OCs in this chapter...**

Chapter Fifteen: Corellians Know How to Party

Jane giggled as she hid behind Qui-Gon. Jane, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had been invited to a party on Corellia by Denn and Jace to celebrate Denn's sister's wedding anniversary. Yoda—who was just as happy as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan that Jane had a friend her own age—had overheard that Jane had gotten a new dress for the occasion, and demanded that she model it.

Qui-Gon, smiling at the girl behind him, knocked on the door to the Grandmaster's quarters. Yoda opened the door and Jane stepped into view.

"The belle of the ball, you will be!" Yoda declared as Jane twirled in her dress; the top piece was a velvety dark green while the rest of the body was a silky cream color. She had her hair pulled back with a black headband decorated with a rose on one side and wore black dress shoes with white tights.

Happy with Yoda's approval, Jane could hardly stay still over the next few days, anxious to go to Corellia and see Jace. A year had passed since they first met, and they were always writing and calling each other; they even got to see each other a few times. But now Jane was going to get to meet Jace's friend Marcus and his cousin Maria, both of whom Jace talked about a lot.

The day of their departure, Jane was helping Obi-Wan bring the bags onto the ship when she noticed Mace Windu hanging out by the hanger. Noticing that Jane had seen him, Master Windu beckoned her over.

"Master Yoda told me about your new dress," Master Windu said, reaching into the sleeve of his robe. "And I thought, what is a new dress without new earrings?"

The Jedi pulled out a small velvet box and pressed it into Jane's hands. Opening it, Jane found a pair of gold earrings with green stones the color of her eyes.

"I saw them the other day and thought of you," Master Windu said; Jane knew this was a lie, but was not going to call the Jedi on it. The box had the year the earrings were made on it and both the box and earrings looked brand new; the date was eight years previous. The designer of these earrings didn't allow anything to be sold two years after it was finished. What was leftover was given to smaller stores for cheaper prices and were always snapped up instantly. Over the course of eight years, there would be nothing left of that stock, especially nothing that had never been worn previously.

"Thank you, Master," Jane said, bowing. "They're beautiful."

Master Windu muttered something about it not being a problem, patted her shoulder and told her to have a good time on Corellia before walking away.

"Those are lovely," Qui-Gon said, having asked Jane what the other Jedi had given her. "I think those will match your dress perfectly."

"Yes, they will," Jane said, settling into a seat behind Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. "Master?"

"Yes, Jane?" Qui-Gon asked, plugging the coordinates into the navacomputer.

"Did… did Master Windu know my mom?" Jane asked.

"Yes, they were in the same year," Qui-Gon said. "They were good friends. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," Jane said.

What she didn't say was that she knew that Mace Windu was always watching her, but could never meet her eyes. He was always nice, but a little stiff and awkward around her. More than once did the Jedi start to call Jane 'Jocelyn'. The earrings only confirmed Jane's suspicions.

Mace Windu had been in love with her mother.

Jane grinned as Jace brought her into a hug.

"Force, I've missed your scruffy-looking nerfherder-ness," Jane said, squeezing him tightly.

"Missed you, too, Jainy," Jace said, giving her his trademark lopsided grin. "You look very pretty."

"You've cleaned up nice, as well," Jane said as Jace took her on his arm. "So, when do I get to meet the famous Marcus and Maria I've heard so much about?"

"Right now. Maria's dragging Marcus this way as we speak," Jace said with a laugh.

A girl somewhere between the ages of seven and eight came bounding towards them. She was very short her age, with a slender figure and arms and legs that, while thin, were also muscled. Her blonde hair was in corkscrew curls and she had big emerald green eyes that twinkled and a large smile.

The boy she dragged along was easily a foot taller than her and twice as wide as she was. He had a broad chest and square shoulders, his dark red hair cut in a military style and his fair skin was coated with freckles. He wore all green and his dark blue eyes flickered around the room, trying to take everything in. He had a bit of a nervous look on his face, and seemed to be a little uncomfortable around the girl pulling him. Jane knew at once that this boy was Force-Sensitive, both by feeling him through the Force and from Jace telling her that Marcus was the son of two Corellian Jedi, his parents known for their unique forms of Healing.

"Hi!" Maria said, stopping in front of Jane and Jace. She instantly threw her arms around Jane, standing on her toes with ease to do so. "Ohmygosh, I can't believe you're here in the flesh! I've been dying to hug you since I got your first letter!"

Jace laughed.

"Maria, let go of her so she can breathe," Jace chastised lightly.

Maria did so and reluctantly got off her toes, still grinning. Jane couldn't stop grinning herself. Shortly after Jane and Jace had started their correspondence, Jace sent her a letter with a warning. Apparently, he had told Maria about Jane and now Maria was dying to talk with Jane. The two instantly got along and frequently wrote letters to each other. Maria told Jane all about her life on Endor and that she was training to become a professional dancer. In fact, as she had confided in her last letter to Jane, the day after the party Maria was going to audition at the Corellian School for the Arts.

"You'll forgive me if my greetings aren't as warm as Maria's," The red-haired boy said, grinning slightly. "However, no one can be as friendly as Maria." He stuck out his hand. "Marcus Jade, at your service. Jace has told me a lot about you."

"All exaggerations, I'm sure," Jane said, taking Marcus' hand. "Jane Mago."

Jace grinned, happy to see everybody getting along. The four spent the entire night together: Marcus was interested to learn that Jane had already completed her lightsaber, ("Lucky. Dad won't let me till I'm thirteen."), discussed Marcus' recent trip to see his Jedi anthropologist uncle, dodged Asana skillfully, and introduced their guardians to each other. Maria, seeing her parents in deep conversation, pulled Jane aside.

"We need to get ready," Maria whispered into Jane's ear. Jane grinned and nodded, and the two girls scurried off, giggling.

"Oh, Force, what are they doing?" Jace asked, watching Jane and Maria climb on stage.

Marcus shrugged.

"I have a feeling we're about to find out." Marcus said.

Everyone was surprised to see the two girls on stage, except Qui-Gon and Denn, who were in on the girls' plan.

"Hello!" Maria said cheerfully into her microphone, a large grin on her face. "For those who don't know us, I'm Maria, Lizzie and Louis' daughter. And this is my close friend, Jane Mago." Jane waved at the crowd, her own smile on her face. "Jane has agreed to help me with this little surprise for my parents. The song we're about to sing is special because my Dad proposed to my Mom after they danced to this song, and played this at their wedding ten years ago today. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad."

Maria nodded at the DJ, who started a song.

# (**Jane** _Maria __**Jane and Maria**_)

"_Do you believe in magic,"_ Maria started to sing. _"In a young girl's heart? How the music can free her whenever it starts. And it's magic if the music is groovy, it makes you feel happy like an old-time movie."_

"**I'll tell you about the magic that'll free your soul,"** Jane took over. **"But it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock n roll. If you believe in magic, don't bother to choose if it's jug band music or rhythm and blues. **_**Just go and listen**_**. It'll start with a smile it won't wipe off your face, no matter how hard you try."**

"_You're feet start tapping and you can't seem to find how you got there so just blow your mind._

"**If you believe in magic, come along with me. We'll dance until morning till it's just you and me. **_**And maybe**__if the music is right, I'll meet you tomorrow so late at night._

"_**We'll go a dancing baby then you'll see all the magic's in the music and the music's in me, **__yeah. Do you believe in magic? Yeah. __**Believe in the magic of a young girl's soul, believe in the magic of rock n roll. **_**Ohhhh, talking about magic.**

"_**Do you believe, like I do, do you believe in magic?"**_

"Do you see it, Denn?"

Jace and Marcus turned to see Qui-Gon and Denn standing behind them, watching them.

"Yes, yes I do," Denn said with a smile.

"See what?" Marcus asked.

"The look in your eye," Denn explained. "Both of you have it."

"What look?" Jace asked, his brow furrowed.

"The look that says, plainly and clearly, that you're in love." Qui-Gon said, his blue eyes smiling.

Both boys started sputtering, cheeks red, trying to deny the Jedi's remarks to the older men's amusement. Seeing a losing battle, the two excused themselves and ran off.

"We're not in love," Marcus said. "Right, Jace?"

"It's impossible," Jace said. "Dad and Master Qui-Gon must have had too much to drink tonight."

"Clearly," Marcus said. "I mean, where would they even get that idea?"

Neither boy made direct eye contact with Jane or Maria for an hour.

As the party wound down, the four kids decided to take a walk in the garden. Half-way down the path, though, Maria shivered from the cold night air. Marcus offered to get her his jacket, which Maria accepted. They both went back inside, and Jace and Jane sat on a bench to wait for them.

"So," Jace said, leaning against the back of the bench.

"So," Jane repeated awkwardly. It was the first time they had been alone all evening.

"Am I allowed to call you Jaina in private?" Jace asked. Jane scowled.

"No," She said sharply. "You ask me that every time we see each other and I always give you the same answer. Why do you keep asking?"

"I like the name Jaina," Jace said with a shrug. "It's elegant and exotic all at once. It's the dynamic mark of a beautifully composed piece. When I say it, it makes the perfect sound and is pleasing to the ear. It fits you perfectly. I wish you would go by it."

"One, stop talking in fancy speak. You're way too young for that. And two, you know why I can't," Jane said, glad of the dark light so that he couldn't see the sudden change in color in her face.

"I know why, but I don't know _why_," Jace said, adding emphasis. "Are you ever going to tell me what the deal is with your dad? He's dead, right, and you never knew him. Why is it so important that it stays a secret?"

"Why does everyone want to know about my father?" Jane demanded, pointedly turning her head away.

"Because you're a puzzle," Jace said. "Everyone wants to solve you. You're mysterious and enchanting."

"Why? Why can't I be a mystery?" Jane asked, turning briefly to look at Jace.

"Like I said, you're a puzzle. You form a beautiful picture, but there are so many missing pieces that it won't come together. Your father is a part of you. A dark part, as you point out, but it's important to see the whole picture. Besides, what difference does it truly make?"

"What do you mean?" Jane asked, turning to face Jace again.

"Do you seriously believe that anyone—Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Maria, Marcus, me—will change how they feel about you if they know who your dad is?"

"Stop calling him my 'dad'. He fathered me, yes, but I could never give him the title 'Dad' like you do with your father. That title implies love and affection. Knowing that person. I never had that," Jane said. She looked at her hands. "And do I truly believe you and the others will change how you feel about me? No. The rest of the Jedi population currently residing on Coruscant? Yes."

"Are they really that bad?" Jace asked, his brow furrowed. Jane had mentioned that she had a few run-ins with some unsavory members of the Order, but she always seemed to blow it off.

Jane nodded.

"I decided a long time ago that I will only tell when it is life-or-death necessary or when I have no say in the matter," Jane said.

"When you have no say? You make it sound like someone's going to set an interrogator droid on you," Jace said in a teasing tone. His smile dropped when Jane scowled. "Jane, what-"

"C'boath wants to set an interrogator droid on me," Jane said. "He tried a few weeks ago. Cornered me after my lessons. Tried to lead me off, said Qui-Gon asked him to take me to him. Like I couldn't see through that lie. Qui-Gon sensed my distress and he and Obi-Wan both rounded the corner not a minute later. Obi-Wan took me off and while Qui-Gon spoke with C'boath. He was livid. C'boath didn't even try to deny what he was doing. Master Yoda has arranged it so that C'boath is on missions whenever I'm at the Temple."

Jace was stunned.

"That's… that's just sick," Jace said with a sneer. "What kind of psycho would try to set an interrogation droid on a seven year old!"

"I just told you, C'boath, otherwise known as the Temple's resident Twisted Duck," Jane said bitterly. "Half of me just really wants to tell, get it over with, but I know that if I do, everything will get a lot worse." For the first time in their conversation, Jane met eye contact with Jace. It broke his heart to see her hazel eyes filled with tears. "I'm scared, Jace, I really am. I'm in too deep. I'm at the bottom of the hole, but I keep digging myself in deeper."

Jace leaned over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rubbed her back as she leaned her head against his shoulder, taking deep breaths.

"It will all be alright," Jace whispered in her ear. "I promise you, everything will be alright."


	17. Chapter 16: When It All Falls Apart

_Alright, so here is the chapter that begins the climax of the story. It's a bit lengthy, but it is important for the ending._

_Now, without further ado..._

Chapter Sixteen: When It All Falls Apart…

After a long, exhausting week, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Jane walked through the halls of the Temple. They were alone because it was late at night; they had just returned from a mission, still trying to comprehend what had happened at the trade convention.

"I'm just glad Denn and Jace couldn't make it this year," Qui-Gon said. "I wouldn't have wanted either of them involved."

"And, as we all know, that would have been inevitable, because where Jane goes, Jace follows," Obi-Wan said, ruffled Jane's hair.

"Shut up," Jane muttered, grabbing Obi-Wan's wrist and flinging his arm away. She was tired and not feeling well, the mix making her extremely grumpy.

Seeing Obi-Wan's hurt and confused face, Jane sighed.

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," She said. "I just don't feel good."

Qui-Gon reached over and put a hand on her forehead.

"You do feel warm," He said, frowning. He stopped her from walking further and scooped her up in his arms, holding her against his chest.

"I can walk," Jane moaned.

"I know you can, but you're not going to," Qui-Gon told her to her frustration. Having recently celebrated her ninth birthday, Jane had decided that she needed to act less child-like and the primary way to do that—in her opinion—was to not be carried around by Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, though she grudgingly admitted that she still liked it when she was carried around piggy-back style.

Qui-Gon was surprised when she didn't argue further and, by the time that they had gotten back to their quarters, Jane was fast asleep. Though he regretted doing it, he woke her up so that she could change into her pajamas. Within five minutes, she was changed—a trail of clothes following her; Qui-Gon figured that could wait till the morning—and he was tucking her in, though she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Qui-Gon placed the comforter on her, then put Jane's yellow blanket on top of the comforter; Jane shifted and grabbed her blanket and pulled it closer to her. Qui-Gon smiled; the blanket had always been Jane's rock. It came on missions, trips to the Healer's ward, and was usually brought out whenever she was upset. Recently, Jane had started leaving it at home more, and, when asked, the girl simply responded that she was getting too big to be always dragging around a blanket.

Qui-Gon kissed Jane's warm temple and whispered 'good-night' then left the room to prepare to seek sleep for himself.

The following morning, Qui-Gon stood against the counter, a mug of tea in his hand. It was almost noon, and Jane still hadn't wakened. Thinking it was just that her body was fighting off whatever illness she had, Qui-Gon didn't think waking her at this time was a good idea. He left her door open so he could hear her if she woke up, planning on waking her up later to at least get her to drink something.

But as he was getting up from the couch to wake Jane up, she came tottering out of her room, one had clutching the doorframe for support, her other arm wrapped around her stomach.

"Good to see you awake," Obi-Wan said, grinning at her.

But Qui-Gon knew something was wrong. She was shaking, her eyes were glazed, her face was pale and covered with sweat.

"Jane?" Qui-Gon said. She shook her head…

And fell in a heap onto the floor. And she wasn't breathing.

Qui-Gon paced. There was nothing he could do but pace. Pace, and wait.

He and Obi-Wan had rushed Jane to the Healer's. The on-call Healer took one look at Jane and snatched her out of Qui-Gon's arms. They had taken her to triage and instantly gotten to work. Within seconds, she had a machine breathing for her, a drip full of fluids attached to her, a computer monitoring her every heartbeat. Winna and Bant had stepped into the room not a minute later, having been paged through the Force to come to the Healer's Ward.

The two healers had taken over Jane's care; Winna examined her while Bant asked what had happened, if she had been wounded on their mission whatsoever, anything that could give them a clue as to how to treat the girl.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had answered every question asked, but the information gave them no new leads. After what felt like an eternity later, the two were allowed to see Jane. She looked small, frail and helpless to Qui-Gon's eyes. His heart panged; the last time he had seen someone he cared for looking like this, she hadn't survived.

Seeing Qui-Gon's face and knowing where his mind was going, Obi-Wan put a hand on his shoulder.

"Master, I think you need some fresh air," Obi-Wan said.

Qui-Gon nodded.

"I think I'll run over to our quarters," He said. "Pack some of her things. For when she wakes up."

"That sounds marvelous," Obi-Wan said with a comforting smile. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on her."

Qui-Gon kissed Jane's forehead, squeezed her hand and then left the room, hoping to talk to Winna before he left.

He told her where he was going, and that he wasn't planning on being gone long. Winna nodded, and then told him what her plan was.

"We're going to run some blood tests," Winna said. "We think she may have an infection. Hopefully the tests will help us narrow down the options. Also, I'm trying to locate her Corellian medical record and birth certificate. Those are the only things we have not been able to obtain, and they may have answers we need."

Qui-Gon nodded, bid Winna farewell and headed out towards the apartment.

He was finishing packing some of Jane's clothes when he heard the comlink sound. He rushed towards the comlink, thinking it could be the Healer's, but was surprised to see Jace Solo's face appear.

"Hi, Master Qui-Gon," The eleven year old said cheerfully. "Can I talk to Jane?" His smile fell when he registered the look on the Jedi's face. "Is everything alright?"

"No, Jace, it isn't," Qui-Gon said. "Jane is very sick. She's unconscious in the Healer's Ward and is having trouble breathing on her own."

Jace's eyes widened.

"What, how?" The boy asked. He was silent for a long time as Qui-Gon explained. Finally, he whispered, "Can me and my dad come to Coruscant? I just want, I just kind of want to see her." His voice ended in a whisper.

Qui-Gon heard the unspoken words: In case this is the last time I can.

"You'll have to ask your father," Qui-Gon said.

"I've already got the navacomputer changing coordinates," Denn said, coming to stand behind his son. "We should be there by morning."

"Thank you," Qui-Gon said. "I will alert the Temple's guards so that you don't run into any problems when you arrive."

They said their good-byes and hung up.

Qui-Gon had hoped that Jane's condition would improve over the next few hours, but if anything, he felt she was getting worse. Her heart seemed to be slowing down, her temperature dropping from boiling to near freezing.

Winna encouraged Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to talk to her, as she could hear what was going on subconsciously. So they did: Qui-Gon told her Jace was coming to see her, Obi-Wan seemed to be trying to bribe her awake, and they talked about everything until the very last thing they could discuss was the weather.

Jace and Denn arrived in record time; Denn embraced Qui-Gon in a brotherly manner and asked if there was anything he could do.

"You're here," Qui-Gon responded softly. "That is enough."

Jace asked softly if he could see Jane; he sat down beside her and took her hand.

Winna's search was not going well; they had determined that Jane did have an infection, and that it was related to her parentage.

"At first we thought it was Corellian Fever," Winna said one late afternoon. "But those tests were negative. We've sent the samples to Coruscant General, but they can't tell us what it is until they know where her father is from. They have a few geneticists trying to find out."

"I take it the search for her birth certificate isn't going well?" Obi-Wan said.

"Not well at all," Bant said. "If I knew what region of Corellia she was born in, that would help. Has she ever told you where she was born?"

"Not at all," Qui-Gon said as Obi-Wan shook his head. Qui-Gon turned to Jace, who sat starring at his hands in his lap. The boy had barely spoken since he arrived, which was strongly uncharacteristic; even when he was upset by something, he would get his two-cents into a conversation. "Has Jane ever told you what part of Corellia she was born in?" Qui-Gon asked him.

"No, sir." Jace said softly, not looking up.

Bant sighed.

"Wish me luck. I have one last idea that might work. Just got to hope that the Corellian senator remembers me." She said, then went back into her office.

"She knows the Senator?" Denn asked, his brow furrowed.

"Jedi have a lot of… interesting… connections," Obi-Wan said with a shrug.

"Ah," Denn said.

Impatience and quick-tempers were running high the rest of that afternoon with the two Healers. Winna was upset because the geneticists weren't working fast enough and Bant had apparently run into another wall trying to find Jane's birth certificate.

"According to their records, there is no Jane Marie Mago born on Corellia in the last decade. And don't get me started on the smart-aleck aides." Bant said bitterly. This was the first time Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had ever seen her this upset over anything.

"That's impossible," Denn said, outraged. "No matter where she's born, she should have a birth certificate. She would have to in order for her mother to name Qui-Gon Jane's guardian."

Qui-Gon, too, was upset. Bant was at a dead end and Jane was getting sicker and sicker as the moments ticked on.

Obi-Wan, sensing Qui-Gon's frustration, led him out of the waiting room and into the hallway.

"Jace knows something," Obi-Wan said softly.

"What do you mean, Jace knows something?" Qui-Gon asked.

"I sensed guilt from him, and confusion. Like he wants to say something, but doesn't want to betray someone's trust."

"Whose trust could he betray?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Jane's," Obi-Wan said. "He's torn between telling and possibly losing her trust, and not telling and more than likely losing her life. I think he needs help in making the decision, or at least someone to talk to. Someone he trusts, that he knows he can tell only so that Jane's life will be saved, and that nothing will be thought more of or less of him, Jane and whatever secret they have."

Qui-Gon pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, knowing the younger man was correct.

"How did you get to be so wise?" He asked.

"I learned from the best," Obi-Wan said, grinning.

"Thank you, Padawan," Qui-Gon said, smiling.

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed in confusion, but his eyes twinkled.

"Master, I was talking about Jane." Obi-Wan said. He winked then walked back into the waiting room.

With a chuckle, Qui-Gon followed. He saw Jace, sitting the farthest away from everyone else, his head in his hands.

Qui-Gon went and sat down beside the boy.

"You are facing a hard decision," Qui-Gon said. "To lose trust to save a life, or to remain faithful and watch someone you love die."

"I can't lose her," Jace mumbled. "I'll either lose her trust, or lose her to death. I will not attend her funeral. So I have to lose a friend."

Jace took a deep breath and raised his head to look at Qui-Gon in the eyes.

"I know why Bant can't find Jane's birth certificate," He said in a breath.

"Was she not born on Corellia?" Qui-Gon asked. "Was she born on her father's homeworld?"

Jace shook his head.

"Her birth certificate is on Corellia," Jace said.

"Then is she registered under her father's surname?" Qui-Gon asked.

"No, sir," Jace said, shaking his head.

Qui-Gon was now very confused.

"Then, what is it?" He asked.

Jace swallowed as tears welled up in his eyes.

"It's her name," He choked out. "Her first name. It's Jaina, not Jane."

"Jaina?" Qui-Gon repeated. Jace nodded then put his head in his hands again. "Did she tell you this?"

"Not directly… I figured it out, and she told me I was right," Jace said.

"Why did she change her name?" Qui-Gon asked.

"It's not my place to tell you," Jace said solemnly. "It's her story. She should be the one to tell it."

Qui-Gon could not disagree. In fact, he knew for a fact that he and Jane—_Jaina_—would be having a very long talk after she was better.

Bant, too, was shocked. But as soon as she placed in the new name, it was found instantly.

"Jaina Marie Mago," Bant said, looking at the piece of paper in her hand. She read off Jane's—Jaina's, Qui-Gon reminded himself—birthday and blood type. "Mother, Jocelyn Ella Mago. Father-" Bant cut herself off and scowled. "Father, unknown."

While Jaina's birth certificate did not shed any light on Jane's father, it did give them an easier time finding Jaina's Corellian medical record.

"Jocelyn had Jaina vaccinated for all the Corellian diseases," Bant said. "This makes sense as the geneticists have determined she has nothing Corellian. They are going through a databank as we speak."

Just then Winna came storming out of the Healer's station. Qui-Gon watched as the older woman walked past, trying to read her expression. It was hard, almost unreadable. But Qui-Gon saw something, almost a cross between grief and fear, in her eyes. She went inside her office and closed the door; her door was never closed.

Excusing himself, Qui-Gon walked up and knocked lightly on the door.

"Enter, Qui-Gon," Winna called back in a tired voice. Qui-Gon opened the door. The room was dark, except for one lamp that was on Winna's desk. The gray haired woman sat with her head in her hands, staring down at a piece of paper.

"Is… is everything alright?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Yes and no," Winna said with a sigh. "Yes in that we know what Jaina has. What she has is a vaccine-preventable disease. This disease is native to only one planet in the entire galaxy and the vaccine is only in two places: that planet and here at Coruscant General. But Jocelyn didn't know that. It's treatable, and Coruscant General is sending over the treatment that we'll put in her drip bag. If all goes well, she'll be awake by midday tomorrow. Doctors say she's lucky. If she was any younger or wasn't Force-sensitive, there's a chance her body wouldn't be able to fight."

"That's excellent," Qui-Gon said, relieved. "Now, what exactly has this piece of paper done to offend you?"

He had meant it jokingly, to at least get Winna to smile. But she didn't.

"Because I know why Jaina has never told us who her father is," Winna said gravelly. "The disease is Telosion."

"That narrows it down to, what, a dozen Jedi?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Actually, they narrowed it down to one," Winna said. "After they discovered the Telosian gene, I sent over DNA samples from all twelve of those Jedi with the same descent. Out of those twelve, five were off-planet at the estimated time of Jaina's conception, this being based off the information on Jaina's birth certificate and the time of Jocelyn's departure. Four have strong alibis. Two were here in the med-ward. And one died the same week Jocelyn left. They got a match."

"So, who is it?" Qui-Gon asked.

Winna looked up at him sadly.

"The one who died." She whispered.

"I didn't know we lost a Jedi that week," Qui-Gon said.

"We had lost him years before that day," Winna said, looking away. "That day, he just lost his life."

Qui-Gon's face paled.

"You don't mean…" He whispered.

Winna nodded sadly.

Qui-Gon sat down, holding his head in his hands. How, how was it possible, that sweet little Jaina came from _that_ monster?

_She'll be awake by midday tomorrow,_ Qui-Gon thought._ And she'll have a lot of questions to answer._

Jane's eyes blinked open slowly. She knew she had been sleeping for a long time, but she still felt tired.

She rubbed her eyes, jumping slightly as she felt something soft, cool and plastic brushing her arm. She looked down to see a IV drip placed in the back of her hand. She looked around the room. She was in the Healer's ward, though she wasn't quite sure how she got there.

Jane recognized the room instantly. It was the one she always had when she was brought to the Healers. Qui-Gon was sitting in the chair beside her, snoring softly. Jane smiled at him then continued to gaze around the room. She looked for the dry-erase board on the wall that would tell her that day's date. She wondered how long she had been asleep. She winced as she discovered she was out for four days.

She continued to read the board. It told her that Winna was her head healer, Bant was the junior healer, an apprentice was the nurse, what the weather was like today.

But then her eyes caught something at the bottom, a message.

**Good morning, Jaina.**

Her face paled and her eyes widened. How…?

She turned to look towards Qui-Gon, who was now awake.

"So." She said softly.

"So." Qui-Gon repeated.

"I guess you also know…" Jaina started.

"Yes," Qui-Gon said gravely.

They sat there and stared at each other in silence.

Finally, Jaina sighed.

"I guess the jig is up." She said sadly.


	18. Chapter 17: The Truth Will Come Out

Chapter Seventeen: …The Truth Will Come Out

"Go ahead and get Obi-Wan and Jace," Jaina said, not meeting Qui-Gon's gaze. "They deserve to know the story too."

"How do you know Jace is here?" Qui-Gon asked as he rose to his feet.

"Both because I sensed him and he is, or rather was, the only one who knew of my real name and was the only one who could have told you." Jaina said, still not looking at Qui-Gon.

Keeping a watchful eye on Jaina—though he really didn't know why—Qui-Gon opened the door and called out for Obi-Wan and Jace. The two entered, followed by four others: Denn, Winna, Bant and Siri. Jane acknowledged each of them, but didn't object to any of them wanting to hear her story.

Obi-Wan embraced her and held her for a minute before kissing her on the forehead.

"Glad to see you amongst the living, Jainy-bug," He told her.

"Yeah, you gave us quite a scare for a while there, Short-Stuff," Siri said, ruffling Jaina's hair as Winna and Bant fussed over something little on one of the monitors.

Jace sat hesitantly beside her. He looked up at her nervously and flinched when she turned to him, as if he was expecting to be slapped or yelled at.

"I know why you told," Jaina said in a whisper. "And I both forgive and thank you.

Jace struggled for words, then he finally just hugged her.

"Don't scare me like that again," He whispered fiercely into her ear.

She smiled.

"I promise," She told him as he let go of her. Jace grinned and hastily wiped a tear off his cheek and resumed his seat beside her, taking her hand in his.

Jaina looked around the room and took a deep breath.

_These are the people I am closest to, _Jaina thought, looking around the room. _Qui-Gon, my father in everything but blood. Winna, my mother. Denn, an uncle. Obi-Wan, my brother. Siri and Bant, my sisters. And Jace. My best friend. They deserve to hear this story._

She closed her eyes, then started to speak. She knew the story by heart, occasionally gone over it in her head. But, still, the words sounded foreign as they came out of her mouth. As if the story didn't belong to her. But obviously, it did.

"So by now either all or most of you know that my father was an Telosian ex-Jedi. His name was Xanatos."

Bant gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth. Jaina ignored her.

"Nearly ten years ago, strange accidents began to occur at the Temple. Items were stolen, the ventilation and lighting systems would stop working, and a student was kidnapped-" Bant and Obi-Wan both cringed with memory. "-all orchestrated by Xanatos. All to lure his former teacher out to fight him.

"He realized he needed a place to hide, and decided to keep multiple hiding places," Jaina continued, not looking at anyone. "He remembered my mother, who had had a childish crush on him years before. He had made sure that she was being given a drug that obscures the mind, knowing that she knew of his turn, and was very careful that she was the only one to receive the drug. Once it was in her system, he came to her in the dead of night and requested that she hide him in her quarters, to which she agreed, being physically and mentally unable to resist. I don't know all the details of that time, but I know that my mother came to realize what had happened too late.

"My mother discovered that she had been manipulated as the drugs wore off. Shortly after, she learned of her pregnancy at the same time that he died. She knew if anyone found out about her pregnancy, that she would be forced or encouraged to terminate her pregnancy, which she decided from the very first moment that she wouldn't do. So she left the Temple.

"She went to her homeworld of Corellia and met an older woman who would simply go under the name of Nonna who offered her sanctuary and to help raise her child. It was Nonna who had discovered my potential and genius, and it was she who encouraged my mother to train me, though I was barely a year and a half old. 'She is destined for greatness,' Nonna would say, though I am still doubting that is possible."

She then told of her mother's mysterious illness and death, her becoming a ward of the state, escape from Corellia, how she came to her alias, and how she came to be at the Temple.

"How do you know all this?" Obi-Wan asked after a long moment of silence after Jaina finished her tale.

"My mother told me shortly before her death," Jaina said. "She… she at least wanted me to know."

She still remembered that day…

_In a flash the images of a loving, kind, handsome father who died tragically for a noble reason were gone, replaced by an ugly, bitter and evil version of her daydreams. _

"_I am sorry, my love," Jocelyn whispered as Jaina sat with tears flowing down her face. "This entire mess, it was my fault. I was blinded by emotions. He only came looking for a place to stay the night and I demanded more. But I don't regret it, because I was blessed with a wonderful daughter. But I must ask for your forgiveness anyway, because I feel I have wronged you."_

_Jaina hugged her mother and gave her forgiveness. Jocelyn hugged her daughter in return, and then asked the little girl to do the impossible._

"_Forgive him?" Jaina spat, anger bubbling inside of her. "What for? I will never forgive him for all the evil he has done. Why should I?"_

_Jocelyn had sighed and stroked Jaina's cheek, wiping away the tears of bitterness._

"_You will know in your heart when the time comes, when you will have to make the decision whether to forgive him or to remain to feel this way about him. I pray with all my heart that you will choose the former."_

_Jaina had told her with all her three-year-old stubbornness that she would not, but Jocelyn said no more on the subject._

_Can you forgive him now?_ The nine-year-old Jaina of today asked herself.

She shoved the thought away. She had more pressing concerns. She sought out Qui-Gon's face, trying to read his expression, but he wouldn't look at her.

_I am not mad at you,_ he told her through the Force. _Merely frustrated with myself._

But his sudden disconnect from her mind left her feeling otherwise. And it hurt.

"Can, can I be alone for a while?" Jaina asked. "I need some time to think."

Her request was granted and the small crowd in her room disappeared, giving her hugs, kisses and hair-ruffles on the way out the door. She waited till the door was closed and the footsteps were fading away before she broke into tears.


	19. Chapter 18: Recovery

**This chapter uses the song 'Monster' by Skillet. The # will tell you when to start the song**

Chapter Eighteen: Recovery

Jaina laid there in her bed for a while, staring up at the ceiling. She had lied, she had withheld information and—above all—she knew no one would trust her now. And why should they? After all, wasn't she the daughter of a Sith?

Would Qui-Gon _want_ to continue training her? And if he didn't, who would take her on?

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Fear and worry coursed through her. She tried to reach out for serenity with the Force, but failed. So she went to plan B.

She was plotting her escape when the door opened.

"You awake?"

Jaina sat up to look at Jace, leaning in the doorway, staring at her intensely with his blue eyes. Jaina scowled at him; he was the last person she wanted to see her in her current state.

"Go away, Jacen Solo." Jaina demanded sharply, then turned and laid on her side.

"Oh, that's a nice way to speak to someone who brought you treats," Jace said sarcastically.

Curiosity got the better of Jaina. She looked over her shoulder.

"What is it?" She asked suspiciously.

"Chocolate covered puff-mallows," Jace said in a sing-song voice, waving the bag so Jaina could see it.

"Jace, you're the best!" Jaina exclaimed as she sat up. Jace tossed the bag at her and she caught it, opened it and stuffed a puff-mallow in her mouth all in five seconds with a grin.

"I'll take that as a thank you," Jace said with a grin. He brushed a stray hair out of Jaina's face. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Physically, I'm okay. Mentally, not so much," Jaina said, looking down at the bag of treats.

"Wanna talk about it?" Jace asked.

Jaina nodded.

"Will you come sit beside me?" Jaina asked. Jace nodded then moved towards the chair. He almost sat down when Jaina said, "No, on the bed with me."

Jace raised an eyebrow, but complied. Being cautious of the tubes and wires around Jaina, she and Jace got into comfortable positions sitting beside each other on the bed.

"So." Jaina said, unsure of where to begin.

"So," Jace repeated, taking a puff-mallow and popping it in his mouth.

"It's hard," Jaina whispered. "I've lived with these secrets for so long. It's hard to talk about them."

Jace swallowed and took her hand.

"Jaina, you don't have to talk about them if you don't want to," He told her.

"But I have to, Jace," Jaina whispered. "Because I don't know what retributions will come from them."

"Retributions?" Jace asked, his brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Because my father did horrible things, Jace!" Jaina exclaimed. "And I am the result of one of those horrible things! A mistake! A flaw in a seemingly perfect—albeit evil—plan! Had my father not turned to the Dark side-"

"Had your father not turned to the Dark side, you wouldn't be here," Jace reminded her. "You, with all your strange quirks, amazing talents, your vast knowledge and your loving heart. Not to mention your crazy imagination," He bumped her shoulder with his. "Now, come on, how many daughters of Sith Lords do you know who could ever draw as well as you do? At three years old? Or sing as well as you do, or dance with the passion you have, or have hyperdrive fixing contests with kids twice your age or build a lightsaber from scratch at five years old?

"Jaina," Jace took both her hands in his. "You are special. There is nothing denying that. So your dad did some bad things, so what? You can't control who he is, or that he's your father. People love you because you love to laugh and smile and make people happy, not because you have a perfect family tree. Nothing bad is going to happen just because people now know who your father is."

"How do you know?" Jaina asked, her eyes sparkling with tears.

"Because I won't allow it," Jace promised. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, right where a tear that had escaped ended. "And I promise that I will always be there for you."

"Always?"

"Always."

Jaina hugged Jace tight.

"Thank you," She breathed, her tears escaping.

"What I'm here for," Jace said, rubbing her back.

Jaina had to stay in the med ward for another week, but Jace never left her side. He got her to eat, would talk her out of a foul mood, hold her hand as she drifted off to sleep, and just be there for her.

Jaina, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan also had a long talk about what the future would hold in store for them. Qui-Gon alleviated Jaina's fears immediately and told her that he wouldn't dismiss her from her apprenticeship. Though it took many conversations and several long hours, the two were back on friendlier terms, to the happiness of both of them.

However, despite this, many members of the Council wished to see Jaina away from Qui-Gon.

"You failed with her father, what makes you think you won't fail with her?" Jorus C'boath demanded in an argument outside the door of Jaina's hospital room. The argument had gone on for ten minutes after C'boath had come to "relieve" Qui-Gon from his "burden". Jaina was near the point of tears, despite Jace and Obi-Wan trying to soothe her, when Qui-Gon retaliated, saying,

"I will not fail with Jaina because she is not her father." The tall Jedi said boldly. C'boath began to dispute, when both Yoda and Winna came up to them. Yoda—very diplomatically—told C'boath to shut up and Winna told him to get out, that he was disturbing the patients, Jaina in particular, as she had been monitoring the girl's vital signs when they spiked, indicating that she was upset.

"She's a monster," C'boath said proudly and viciously. "All too soon, that monster will attack. The monster needs to be tamed, and you are obviously not up for the task."

Fortunately, Denn and Master Windu had been there to prevent Qui-Gon from physically harming C'boath.

But the argument left Jaina thinking. And, unfortunately, she was focusing more on C'boath's words than Qui-Gon's and Jace's.

#

Jaina had managed to convince her caregivers to just let her stay a night in the medward by herself, that she'd be fine and that she just was starting to feel claustrophobic. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, understanding that feeling from numerous stints in a hospital bed, agreed; Jace was more hesitant, but in the end agreed.

That was how she ended up standing alone in the fresher with the door locked, her hands clenching the sides of the sink with white knuckles, glaring at her reflection in the mirror, staring into her own tear-filled eyes, listening to an imaginary voice repeating C'boath's words over and over.

_You are a monster, you know,_ The little snide voice said. _You know you've always been one. That's why you told no one about Daddy-dearest for six years._

"I'm not a monster," Jaina argued with her reflection. "I'm not."

_Ah, not yet, you aren't. It's just beneath your skin, waiting to come out, ready to kill and manipulate. You can try and deny it, but it won't do you any good. The beast is ugly, but it will rule._

"NO!" Jaina screamed.

She brought her fist up and felt it hit something, heard the crack of something breaking, felt the blood run down her arm. She curled up on the cold tiled floor and sobbed, ignoring the healer's calls from outside the door, asking if everything was alright.

_You're a monster. Your heart and soul are already claimed. This is no dream. They don't care if you scream. No one's going to save you. You can hate it, but you can't change it. There's no stopping this monster._

The door was opened within a minute and the head healer took one look at the girl lying on the floor, sobbing, then up at the broken mirror that was now covered with the child's blood and immediately ordered a sedative and bandages.

"And someone contact Master Jinn," She whispered.

****************************************************************************************************************************

Qui-Gon came marching through the doors of the medward, angrier than anyone could ever remember. After that day, witnesses would swear that his kind blue eyes turned yellow.

"What happened?" He demanded sharply. "Where is my goddaughter?"

"Master Jinn, I must ask you to calm down. Acting like a Sith at this moment won't be good for you or for Jaina," Winna said, coming out of a room. She gestured for him to follow her and he did so. She led him down a hallway unfamiliar to Qui-Gon; with a pang, he realized why he had never been down this hall.

It was the psych wing.

Winna opened the door to a room and Qui-Gon's heart broke in more pieces than it had in the past two weeks: Jaina was sleeping, albeit restlessly, her fists clenching and unclenching, her eyes flickering under closed lids. Her face was flushed and covered in a sheen of sweat. Her ankles and wrists were restrained and she had a drip steadily feeding her medication of some sort. The fingers on her left hand were splinted with a bacta cast around them.

Qui-Gon fell to his knees at her side.

"What happened, my little flower?" He asked softly, taking her un-bandaged hand. "What has hurt your heart so badly?"

"Qui-Gon," Winna said. Qui-Gon slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers. "Up till now, Jaina has never had to worry about what people think of her parentage. While some are accepting, many are not." Qui-Gon scowled, knowing exactly who she was talking about.

"C'boath had no right to say such things with her nearby," Qui-Gon said, pushing back a stand of Jaina's sweaty hair.

"While that is true, I believe it set off a mental anxiety that would have revealed itself in time, a bit of Post-Traumatic Stress, if you would call it that," Winna said. "I do not believe Jaina has really come to terms with what her father became. Perhaps she thinks she will become just like him, and not a Jedi like her mother. She's scared and confused, and she has baggage she needs to get over."

"How?" Qui-Gon demanded. "By talking to some mind healer?"

"Actually, I was thinking what she needs is a trip, but only she chooses if she goes or not," Winna said.

"I am not taking her to Dagobah," Qui-Gon said gruffly. "I don't need her having any more Post-Traumatic Stress than she already has."

"I was thinking Telos IV," Winna said. "To where her father died."

******************************************************************************************************************************

"I'll go," Jaina said.

"Are you sure?" Qui-Gon asked. Jaina nodded.

"I think Winna's right, that it should help me," Jaina said. She looked down at her hands; her wrists had only been freed of their restraints half an hour beforehand, once she had been declared mentally stable enough, though she was still being constantly monitored and had to have an adult constantly in the room with her. "I just… I just need to get it over with, and there's no use in beating around the bush with this. I'm going to lose control of me—my heart, mind, body and soul—if I don't face this now."

Qui-Gon took a deep breath.

"Alright. But know that if you change your mind, no one is going to make you go through with this." He told her.

Jaina nodded and, as she did so, Qui-Gon saw a tear drop down into her lap. He pulled her onto his lap and held her in his arms. They stayed like that for a long time.


	20. Chapter 19: Acid Pools and Calling Caves

**This is the second to last chapter, not including the epilogue. The last chapter and Epilogue will be posted next week. This chapter uses the song 'Monsters' by Hurricane Bells. The # will tell you when to start playing it.**

Chapter Nineteen: Pools of Acid and Calling Caves

"You're sure you want to do this?" Jace asked as the ship was landing. Jaina nodded.

"I'm sure," She whispered. Jace squeezed her hand. He had been overprotective of her ever since the incident in the medward and refused to leave her side.

"You don't _have_ to do this," Jace reminded her.

"No. No I don't," Jaina said. "But I both need and want to do it."

Jace said nothing, though he opened his mouth several times like he wanted to say something. He was very concerned for her. The first time he saw her after the accident in the medical ward, he barely recognized her. Her eyes had lost their vibrancy and twinkle. Her smile seemed to have gone on a permanent vacation. Her skin was pale from lack of sunlight and, by the way her clothes hung off her, she seemed to be losing weight. Her Force sense also seemed to be reacting to her psychological problems. She could only levitate the lightest of objects, and not even for very long. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan both felt disconnected from her, and their mind link was weak.

Jace had continued to be her constant companion until she was discharged. Her mind was always elsewhere, but he did his best to bring her back. He read to her or would play an instrument for her. Sometimes she spoke, often requesting a certain story or song, but otherwise she remained silent, lost in her own world. She had nightmares, even when she was under sedation medication; the only way she got peaceful sleep was when Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon held her.

Jace had expressed many times that he doubted that this trip would be good for Jaina, and Obi-Wan agreed with him. Jaina ignored him, though, and expressed no change of interest.

"Last call, Jaina," Obi-Wan said as he climbed out of the co-pilots seat.

"I'm here and I'm not turning back," Jaina said gruffly. "If nothing else, I just want to get this over with."

Everyone nodded. They all knew Jaina wouldn't force herself to do something she couldn't handle.

The first thing that struck Jaina about her father's homeworld was how green and beautiful it was. But the beauty was soon hard to see as they neared Park of Sacred Pools. All too soon, she was kneeling beside what once was a pool full of beautiful, pure water surrounded by volcanos. Because of her father, the water was polluted and was now thick, black acid. She breathed through her mouth so as to not smell the yellow vapors coming off the water.

"He died the instant he jumped in," Qui-Gon said in a whisper from where he knelt beside Jaina. He put a hand on her shoulder. "He did many horrible things, things I wish I had foreseen and been able to prevent. But I am glad that he died suddenly. Because no matter what a person does in their lifetime, no one deserves to suffer a long, painful death."

Jaina didn't respond. She stared at the bubbling water, or at least what used to be water.

"You remind me of him, in a few ways," Qui-Gon said. Jaina turned her head sharply to glare at her Master. "Do not be offended, please, my flower, for you only remind me of him in wonderful ways. You wish to control your own destiny. You do not want a code to live by. You have your own honor system, and you refuse to break it. Sadly, I saw this in Xanatos and felt pride. I did not know the true intentions behind it, and in many ways I wish I had. But, despite his many faults and misdeeds, there is one thing that I cannot truly regret that he did."

"What was that?" Jaina asked, turning away.

"He gave me a beautiful, wise goddaughter, one I would not trade for anything," Qui-Gon said, taking her chin in his hand so that she could look at him. "No one is perfect, my flower. And you can't choose your family. But you can choose what you do with your life. And no matter what you choose, I will always love you."

"Even if I turn to the Dark Side?" Jaina asked.

"I will love you more, even then, and use my love to bring you back to the light," Qui-Gon promised, kissing her forehead.

Jaina nodded, a small smile on her face as a tear rolled down her cheek.

As she and Qui-Gon were climbing to their feet, Jaina turned sharply to look over her shoulder at the entrance to the Mirror Caverns. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan both tensed. Denn and Jace looked at the Jedi.

"What is it?" Denn asked.

"There's something in there," Jaina whispered. "It's cold, but warm as well." She turned to Qui-Gon expectantly.

"It is both the Dark Side of the Force, and the Light," Qui-Gon looked down at Jaina. "You must go in there."

"What-" Jaina took a deep breath. "What's in there?"

"Only what you take with you," Qui-Gon said, laying a hand on Jaina's hand.

#

Jaina nodded. She hesitantly ran a hand over her lightsaber, which Qui-Gon noticed.

"You will not need any weapons in there," Qui-Gon said. Jaina nodded and handed her Master her lightsaber.

Then, taking a deep breath and without looking back, she made her way towards the Caverns.

She felt uneasy as she walked past the reflective rocks. She saw millions of her own reflection, saw her own wide eyes and determined frown.

She turned sharply as she heard something from behind her. It almost sounded like a mixture of footsteps and the wind. She stretched out with the Force, but felt no danger.

So she continued.

She was still uneasy as she heard strange noises all around her: water dripping, rocks hitting the ground, bugs and small animals scurrying. And the footsteps/wind.

She was deep in the caverns, and didn't know what she was supposed to be looking for. It was getting darker and darker, and she had no light. She was about to turn back…

Laughter pealed throughout the cavern, proud and mocking.

"Hello?" Jaina called out, her blood chilling as she listened to her echo. "Hello? Who's there?"

She continued to listen to her echo, until it changed. It was her voice, but she wasn't speaking.

"'Bout time you showed up. Time to face your monsters."

She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't want to be here. She started to run, but her foot caught a crack on the cave floor. She remembered hearing the laughter again as she hit the ground.

All was black for a very long time. How long, she didn't know. It felt good, lying there, being still. Her own personal hiding place from the galaxy.

"Oi! Wake up! Nappy time's over!"

Jaina opened her eyes slowly. There were two figures standing in front of her. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, Jaina saw who they were and gasped.

"Finally awake are you? Good. I've been yelling at you for Sith knows how long. Get up." It was a harsh version of her own voice. Cold and cruel. The speaker was just the same.

She looked exactly like Jaina. Almost. On her left cheek there was a tattooed blood red moon. Her long brown hair was loose and streaked with red dye. There were dark circles underneath her yellow eyes, the lids painted a dusky red, her pale skin accenting the eeriness. She wore a long-sleeved black shirt and a knee-length black and red skirt with artfully torn leggings underneath. Black boots with a low heel came up to her knees. Her lips, curled into a cruel smile, were painted black. A curved lightsaber was hooked onto her belt.

"Don't scare her, Obsidian." The girl beside her chided gently. She was the exact opposite of her counterpart. This girl had the same long brown hair and hazel eyes identical to Jaina's. She wore a white shirt and pants and bright white calf-length boots. Her lips, painted a delicate light pink, were curved in a mournful frown and she looked at Jaina almost pityingly. On her right cheek was a light blue sun. She, too, had a lightsaber on her hip.

"Shut up, Diamond," The dark girl—Obsidian—snapped. The light girl—Diamond—flinched at the harsh words. Obsidian turned to Jaina. "Get up. Now."

Jaina climbed to her feet shakily.

"Follow us," Diamond said, taking Jaina's hand.

"Where are you taking me?" Jaina asked, still in a slight daze.

"Deep into the cave," Obsidian said. She looked over her shoulder and gave Jaina a nasty grin. "You're going to meet our Daddy."


	21. Chapter 20: Twilight ChildSunrise Child

**The song that goes with this chapter is 'More Than It Seems' by Kutless. The # will tell you when to start playing it.**

Chapter Twenty: Twilight Child, Sunrise Child

The cavern both awed and scared Jaina. On the left side of the cavern was a burning inferno, with a floor of burning coals the flames bouncing around a dark hooded figure standing in the midst of it all.

On the right side was an icy floor, with glacier walls and snow-banks, somehow unable to melt despite the heat that was radiating from within. A slight woman stood wrapped up in a white cape facing the dark figure on the other side.

Separating the two sides was a long stretch of dirt. Obsidian went to the left to join the dark figure, while Diamond went to join the woman on the other side. Jaina, unsure of where to go, continued to walk down the dirt path.

"Hello, Jaina," The woman said. Jaina sucked in a breath. She knew that voice anywhere, the voice that sang loving lullabies to her as a baby, laughed with her, and gently trained her.

The voice of her mother.

"Mommy?" Jaina whispered. She tried to run up to Jocelyn, but was stopped by a glacier appearing in her path. When she backed away, the glacier disappeared.

"I'm sorry, love," Jocelyn said sadly, now removing the hood of her cape so Jaina could see her face. "I cannot leave this spot, nor can you join me."

"What is this place?" Jaina asked.

"A split of your sub-conscious," A deep male voice said from behind her.

Jaina turned to look into the man's deep blue eyes that were framed by disheveled black hair. On his cheek was a scar of a broken circle. She had never seen this man before in her life, but knew who he was.

Her father. Xanatos.

"Why am I here?" Jaina demanded.

"So you can see the paths that lie before you," Xanatos said, walking up and down his boundary, his black cloak billowing behind him.

"Yeah," Obsidian said from where she was crouched on top of a black rock. She jumped down to land beside Xanatos. "You can join the Dark Side AKA the Fun and Rebellious Side."

"Or you can walk down the path in the light of the Jedi," Jocelyn interrupted.

"Where peace and truth rule, not chaos and fear," Diamond said, a serious look on her face.

"Please tell me this isn't going to be just you all telling me the cost-benefits of each side," Jane said dryly.

"Oh, no, we have something better," Jocelyn said, smiling. She walked down the edge of her icy pavilion and came to a wider part of the dirt path. Jaina followed her and stopped where her mother did. At her feet, water came up out of the ground and pooled at her feet.

The water was clean and pure, like the pools outside had once been. Jaina looked down to see her reflection and saw Obsidian and Diamond both standing on either side of her. A drop of water from above fell into the pool and rippled the water. As it did so, the images melded together so that Jaina face was gone and replaced by half of Obsidian's face and half of Diamond's.

"So, basically," Jaina said, turning to Diamond. "You're the part of me that's the Light," She turned to Obsidian. "And you're the part of me that's Dark."

"Got that right," Obsidian said, grinning viciously. "If you want to get all psychological and what not, I'm the physical embodiment of your inner Dark Side."

"You're not what I want to be," Jaina said, turning her face away from the girl. Obsidian chuckled and grabbed Jaina's chin so that their eyes met.

"Ah, but yet you need me in ways you do not fully comprehend for all your wisdom," Obsidian said smugly.

"She is right," Diamond said, laying a hand on Jaina's shoulder. "You cannot truly know and live in the Light if you have not touched the Dark, and seen what it creates. You can't just live in a bubble, thinking it will never happen to you. You have to see the reality of how easy it is to fall. This isn't just a choice in your destiny. It's a choice in how you live your life."

"I've never heard that before," Jaina said.

"It's not something usually discussed," Obsidian said, leaning on Jaina with her elbow on Jaina's shoulder. "You don't see too many redeemed Dark Jedi running around in that fancy-shmancy Temple of yours, do you? They're all having way too much fun over here."

"Oh, for pity's sake, Obsidian!" Diamond exclaimed, finally losing her composure. "What is really the 'fun' of turning to the Dark Side? You guys are just like Jedi, just evil and risk greater chance of deformation and death by lightsaber!"

Obsidian thought for a moment, truly dumbstruck

"We have cookies." She muttered after a long, awkward silence.

"Really? 'Join the Dark Side, we have cookies'?" Jaina said, crossing her arms. "That saying's about as old as both the Jedi and Sith Codes combined."

"Cookies!" Xanatos cried out, staring at Obsidian. "We are Sith! We don't have any need for cookies!"

"Is that in the Sith Code?" Obsidian asked, aghast. "I really need to read that thing all the way through."

Xanatos clapped a hand to his forehead and muttered something unintelligible.

"You know, now that I think about it, _Dad_," Jaina said with a wicked grin. "Despite what everyone at the Temple says, you were never a Sith Lord. You received no training from a Sith. You're just a highly glorified wanna- be! You're about as bad as the actors in those cheesy holo-vids about Jedi!"

"I beg your pardon?" Xanatos snapped, outraged, turning to glare at Jaina.

"Well, she has a point, now that I think about it." Jocelyn said thoughtfully. "You turned to the Dark Side, but were never truly a Sith."

Xanatos' pale face turned as red as the inferno behind him, while Obsidian was doubled over laughing.

"While this conversation has been entertaining and enlightening, I don't think Jaina is any closer to deciding which path to take," Diamond said, having controlled her temper again.

"No, it hasn't," Jaina agreed. "However, it has made me aware that I can't ignore the issue. I can choose now, but my heart and mind might change later. But I have to change them now so that I can embrace my decision." She took a deep breath. "And I think my heart at least has changed. My mind with my wisdom and logic may not agree, but I must let my heart lead on this matter."

She turned to Xanatos and took a few steps so that she was standing right in front of him. The room was deadly quiet.

"I should have done this a long time ago," Jaina said, her hazel eyes meeting his blue ones. "It would have saved me a lot of heartache and bitterness. Father."

"Yes?" Xanatos encouraged. For the first time since she entered the cave, he actually seemed to look at her like a father would a daughter.

"I forgive you," Jaina said. With those words spoken, her heart felt lighter. "And I ask for your forgiveness for holding a grudge for so long."

Xanatos smiled softly. He cautiously reached his hand out. While he did not—nor could not—touch her, he gently stroked the air beside her cheek.

"We may have chosen different paths," He said. "But I don't think I could be prouder. Yes, I forgive you."

"Thank you," Jaina said, smiling.

"Jaina," Jaina turned towards Jocelyn. "You made a hard decision, one not many could make, and one you may have to make again. You have done well, my angel. I will always be with you, and be waiting for you for when it is your time. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom," Jaina said, blinking back tears. She turned back to Xanatos, who was watching her intently. She met his eyes, her heart lightened as she, for the first time in her life, felt true affection for her father. It was not a love, but she knew that the feeling was brought on by her forgiveness of his deeds

"You will do well as a Jedi for sure," Xanatos said. "You have compassion, logic, diplomacy, loyalty, and a very unique combination of mine and your mother's dueling skills. I've seen you duel, and there's no denying it. It should have been Qui-Gon's first clue. However, you are also cunning, quick witted, persuasive and tactics-minded. You would make a very fine Sith. But I will not try to lure you either way. From now on, your choices are yours alone. You are your own person. All I can say is good luck. My daughter."

"Thank you," Jaina said. She smiled up at him. "Daddy."

Xanatos simply smiled. A true smile that hadn't graced his face since long before his death. Jaina—whether she knew it or not—had just called him what he'd always wanted to be called by her.

#

In a flash of light, the lava and ice of the cavern—and Jocelyn and Xanatos—were gone. The cavern was just that, a cavern. Nothing different or exciting about it.

"You did well," Diamond told Jaina, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, she lived and all that," Obsidian said, sounding thoroughly disappointed as she rolled her yellow eyes. "Ready to get back to reality?"

"Yes. Your Master and friends are waiting for you." Diamond said. Jaina nodded.

As they walked through the maze of reflective tunnels, Obsidian spoke up.

"So… Since you never flat-out said it, what are you going to choose?" She asked. She tried to sound innocently curious, but her twinkling eyes betrayed her.

"I learned something from all this," Jaina said. "It's not about what you can be, or what others think you will be. It's what you should be, and what you want to be. What I should be, and what I want to be, is a Jedi. To fight for good, peace, and freedom."

"Some freedoms will come with a higher price," Diamond said. "If you consult the Jedi Code, you will find that to be true."

"Which is why I don't follow the Jedi Code," Jaina said. "I follow my own code: to live, to love, to protect, to serve, to live as God has ordained. And to never let the past haunt me again. I will always dwell where there is light."

"You will do well then," Diamond said, smiling. "And here is where we part ways." She said as they stopped. She pointed at another tunnel. "You will walk down that tunnel and rejoin your companions. But first, Obsidian and I want to give you something to remind you of today, to remind you that you always have a choice. That it's not one decision you make once and are done, but one you must make every day."

"You can make the easy decision," Obsidian piped up.

"Or the hard one," Diamond said. "Hold out your hand, palm up."

Jaina held out her hand and Obsidian and Diamond each took hold of it. With their free hands, they each brought down their index finger right beside each other in the middle of Jaina's palm. There was a flash of light, then, smiling brightly, Diamond and Obsidian removed their hands.

Jaina looked down at her palm and smiled. Painlessly tattooed onto her hand was a circle divided in half. The left half was a blood-red moon, the right half was a pale blue sun.

"When you go through that tunnel, you will be reunited with your friends," Diamond said. "We wish you the best of luck, that you find true love, and to know peace."

"Diamond and I will always be hanging around," Obsidian said. She put a finger to Jaina's temple. "In here. Just call us and we'll help you out."

"Thank you. But I've got to know," Jaina said. "Is this real, or is this all happening inside my head?"

"Of course this is all happening inside your head," Obsidian said with a smirk.

"But why doesn't that make it real?" Diamond asked, blinking innocently.

Jaina grinned.

"Thanks," She said.

"You're welcome. May the Force be with you," Diamond said, bowing. Then she and Obsidian turned and walked back down the path towards the cavern. They hadn't taken more than five steps before Obsidian glanced over her shoulder.

"Hey, when in doubt, remember, the Dark Side's got cookies waiting for you!" She said, a grin on her face.

"Thanks, Obsidian, I'll remember that," Jaina said, grinning in response.

Diamond grabbed Obsidian by the arm, rolling her eyes and failing to resist the urge to smile. They took another step…then they were gone.

Chuckling, Jaina walked down the tunnel Diamond had pointed to. She emerged to see the waiting faces of Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Jace and Denn. She felt herself swept into hugs and her hair ruffled.

"So?" Qui-Gon said.

"I succeeded," Jaina said, beaming at him. "I faced the ghosts of my past. I'm free of them, now and forever. And I received," She held up her newly marked hand. "Only what I take with me."

The grins she received in turn were not only of pride and love, but also joy.

The Jaina they knew and loved had returned.


	22. Epilogue: Waiting For The World to Fall

**Well, folks, this is it. The last of 'Hauntings From The Past'. I am working on the sequel, but I don't know when it will be out. The sequel will be titled 'Behind These Hazel Eyes'. Hopefully by Late October-Early November I'll have the first bit written and can start posting.**

**I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed: Recovering4life, jameron4eva, Odele, XenaTheWarriorPrincess, DarkAngel620, Phoenix1592, CSIGetteBlue, Vana Jedi, Chewie Lee, .Wings.x and guests. May The Force be With You all.**

**One more song, Waiting for the World to Fall by Jars of Clay. Then there's kind of a 'end credits' song if you will at the end, Dear X (You Don't Own Me) by Disciple.**

Epilogue: Waiting for the World to Fall

#

Jane crawled out of the tent to watch as the sun rose over the horizon, being careful and quiet enough to not wake Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. A month had passed since Jane had entered the cave on Telos, and the trio were on a much-needed vacation. Qui-Gon's friend Wren Honoran had suggested that they take a training mission on Ragoon-6, to enjoy the scenery, wilderness, each other's company and—most importantly—the peace.

The peace was what Jaina wanted at that very moment, to bask in the serenity of the sunrise in the pinks, purples and oranges in the soft light of morning. She glanced down at her palm and smiled as she traced a finger over the design. So much had changed for her and her life, but around her things seemed to stay the same. She was still waiting for the other boot to drop, for when it would be openly debated on whether or not she stayed. The only bright side was that only the people she cared for the most treated her the way they had before they knew who her father was. Just as Jace had predicted.

She and Bant still schemed to find ways of trapping Obi-Wan and Siri in the same room. Winna was still her pseudo-mother at the Temple. Siri still ruffled her hair and called her 'short-stuff'. She was still 'Jainy-bug' to Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's 'flower'.

_And Jace still calls me 'Greensleeves',_ Jaina thought with a chuckle as she pulled her robe around her tighter.

And yet she still felt like it could be all gone in a second.

_It can,_ Jaina reminded herself. _Think of how many times Qui-Gon has been wounded on missions. Or when Obi-Wan was in the hospital for so long after he was pushed down those stairs. Or when you became ill with something the Healers had never seen before._

But for now, all was right with the galaxy. At least in Jaina's part of it. And she hoped it stayed that way.

She stood up from her rock as she felt Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stirring from inside the tent. By the time they emerged, Jaina had started the fire for cooking their breakfast.

They were half-way through their meal when they heard the crunching of leaves from behind their campsite and immediately drew their weapons. They were surprised to see Wren come out of the woods.

"Master Honoran," Jaina said as she deactivated her blade. "You do remember that we are supposed to find you, right?"

Wren grinned at Jaina and ruffled her hair.

"I know that, you cheeky bugger," He said. "But I just received an urgent message for you from the Council."

Jaina and Obi-Wan glanced at each other, both worried and curious, as Qui-Gon read the message.

"We will leave immediately," Qui-Gon said after he finished reading.

"Where are we going?" Obi-Wan asked as Wren left to prepare their ship for departure.

"First to Coruscant, than Naboo," Qui-Gon said, dousing their fire. "The Trade Federation is blockading Naboo. Chancellor Valorum asked for us specifically." He looked up at the two apprentices. "I know you two were enjoying our break, and I'm sorry we have to cut it off so soon."

"That's alright, Master," Jaina said as she started packing up their things. "We know how it goes."

"How about I make a request with the Council that after our mission, we come back here and finish the training mission. With no interruptions." Qui-Gon suggested and smiled as he watched his Padawans' faces light up.

"Gives us motivation to get the mission done faster," Obi-Wan said with a grin.

And so, the trio continued to talk and laugh as they dismantled their campsite. Little did they know just how precious those hours would be.

* * *

End Song: Dear X (You Don't Own Me) by Disciple


End file.
